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19 Years and 5 Minutes Later	By : TheMightyFlynn Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 58416 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any characters related to that series; they are JK Rowling's. I make no money from this.

Chapter List
- 1-19 Years and 5 Minutes Later
- 2-Ch. 2
- 3-Ch. 3
- 4-Ch. 4
- 5-Ch. 5
- 6-Ch. 6
- 7-Ch. 7
- 8-Ch. 8
- 9-Ch. 9
- 10-Ch. 10
- 11-Ch. 11
- 12-Ch. 12
- 13-Ch. 13
- 14-Ch. 14
- 15-Ch. 15
- 16-Ch. 16
- 17-Ch. 17
- 18-Ch. 18
- 19-Ch. 19
- 20-Ch. 20
- 21-Ch. 21
- 22-Ch. 22
- 23-Ch. 23
- 24-Ch. 24
- 25-Ch. 25
- 26-Ch. 26
- 27-Ch. 27
- 28-Ch. 28
- 29-Ch. 29
- 30-Ch. 30
- 31-Ch. 31
- 32-Ch. 32
- 33-Ch. 33
- 34-Ch. 34
- 35-Ch. 35
- 36-Ch. 36
- 37-Ch. 37
- 38-Ch. 38
- 39-Ch. 39
- 40-Ch. 40
- 41-Ch. 41
- 42-Ch. 42
- 43-Ch. 43
- 44-Ch. 44
- 45-Ch. 45
- 46-Ch. 46
- 47-Ch. 47
- 48-Ch. 48
- 49-Ch. 49
- 50-Ch. 50
- 51-Epilogue
- 44
- 45
- 46
A/N: Jan: soon enough they will have the chance to have their hands on each other as well as their eyes ;)
This chapter is a bit talky, so sorry for that. Unfortunately, it's necessary talkiness (totally a word!), but the next chapter will pick up :D

Better than Firewhisky. Harry very clearly remembered the day he had used that phrase to describe kissing Ginny. The excitement – the fire – that had left him trembling had died over the years, extinguished by his own lack of true desire for her. With Draco, on the other hand… A small touch here, a quick squeeze there and Harry was putty in Draco's hands. He wouldn’t have a problem with that, except that he knew that Draco knew exactly what kind of effect he had on him and seemed to take advantage of it as often as possible. Usually that wasn’t an issue, but standing in the waiting room of the court as they were, Harry knew he had to do something before he gave in to his baser instincts. As much as he wanted – needed – Draco, there was no way they could pull off anything in this tiny room with the courtroom filling up just outside the door. He broke the kiss before his body could start to react to the stimulation he was feeding it. The small sound of protest Draco made in response almost had Harry changing his mind, but he gathered what little willpower he had left and pulled back.
“Harry…”
Draco swayed forward, his eyes still closed. He hadn’t released the almost death grip he had around Harry’s waist, making it impossible for Harry to move too far away from him. Not that Harry was objecting, but he cast a quick glance over to the door, knowing that they hadn’t locked it. Turning back to watch Draco closely, a small smile curved Harry’s lips upwards as he saw the signs of Draco trying to compose himself: the deep, steady breaths and clenching of his hands in the small of Harry’s back were a dead giveaway these days. When combined with the relief that was evident in Draco's body language, it was making it more and more difficult for Harry to do the right thing. Unwilling to lose the debauched look Draco currently had – with his mouth open and panting, his lips bruised, and his hair mussed – he leant in to nip lightly at Draco's bottom lip. He pulled back again, however, when Draco tried to draw him into another kiss.
“There’s still another testimony we have to listen to today.”
Draco groaned. “Bugger the testimony.”
Smiling even wider, Harry ran his thumbs lightly over Draco's prominent cheekbones. It had the effect of making Draco open his eyes to fix Harry with a slightly glazed look. Harry’s stomach fluttered in response, but his common sense prevailed. No matter how much his stomach fluttered with the knowledge of how easily he could break down the walls Draco put up, he knew he had to compose himself. He pressed one last, small kiss to Draco's lips before breaking the grip Draco had on him and stepping back properly.
“We didn’t even lock the door.”
Draco's eyes narrowed, but he ran his hands over his hair and clothing, mumbling charms to straighten everything. “Since when are you so discrete?”
Harry opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a sharp rap on the door. Shooting Draco his best ‘I told you so’ look, Harry moved over to open the door. He was greeted by Barrister Richardson, who was prudently not even looking at Harry, let alone into the room behind him.
“Court is about to resume.” His voice was low, but Harry was sure that he could hear a lot less of the worry he had become so accustomed to over the past few days beneath his professional tone. “You have about two minutes.”
Harry thanked him and turned back towards Draco. Standing exactly where Harry had left him, Draco now looked as immaculate as ever, with his hair and clothing as near to perfect as they got. Shaking his head, Harry ran the same charms over his own clothing, noting that they never really worked as well for him as they did for Draco. An amused huff of breath had him looking up in time to see Draco stop just in front of him. A light shiver ran down Harry’s spine as Draco ran his hands along his collar and over his shoulders, muttering the charms that would straighten his robes properly. Harry eyed Draco suspiciously when he smirked at him as he finished.
“How come they work correctly for you but not me?”
“Practice, Potter.” Draco finished and met Harry’s eyes, his smirk still firmly in place. “However, if you continue to look at me like that, practice at these charms won’t be of any help for what I will do to you.”
His voice was low, sending a shiver straight through Harry’s stomach. There was another rap on the door before Harry could react, causing him to jump and Draco's smirk to widen into a full grin.
“It’s time, gentlemen.”
Leaning close for a few seconds, ostensibly so he could reach the doorknob, Draco brushed his fingers under Harry’s chin. “Deep breaths Potter. You wouldn’t want them all to see you so flustered, would you?”
Silently cursing the day Draco had been born, Harry did as instructed: closing his eyes, he took slow, deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing heart. He had no idea how the hell Draco had managed to turn the tables on him so quickly, reversing their positions with a few well-chosen sentences, but he swore there and then that he would make him pay.
It took him a few seconds before he trusted himself enough to walk back out into the courtroom. It was filling rapidly with members of the Wizengamot, friends and family members, as well as the press. The stream of witches and wizards made it difficult for Harry to cross the floor to the plaintiff’s seats, meaning he didn’t realise that he and Draco had been moved up into the stands for the Auror’s testimonies until he was standing in front of the plaintiff’s seats.
“Wotcher, boss!”
Harry almost jumped at the too-cheerful sound of Alexa Reynolds’ voice. Staring dumbly at her and Kyle Gould sitting in the seats he and Draco had occupied before the break, it was a couple of seconds before Harry responded.
“Alex, Kyle, how are you both?” He stepped forward to shake hands with both of them. “And it’s just Harry now.”
Gould chuckled. “Sure it is, boss.”
“Court will come to order.”
Nodding to the both of them, Harry made his way up into the stands, his eyes frantically seeking Draco. He found him in the second row, sitting just behind Richardson with an empty seat beside him. Harry found he had to repress a smile as he took his seat, earning himself a strange look from Draco.
“Edwards looks scared.”
The whispered words caused Harry’s head to snap around to where Ginny’s lawyer sat. His thin lips were pressed together, his hands clenched in his lap and his foot was tapping a staccato rhythm on the tiled floor. Harry frowned as he turned back to Draco.
“That doesn’t mean that we’ll have an easy time of it.”
“You think it will make him come out fighting?”
Harry settled back into his seat before meeting Draco's eyes. “You never know. He’s good enough to be representing Ginny in this case. That means he must have previously done something to warrant earning a case as high-profile as this one. Richardson can’t have been the only lawyer she was trying to hire and I would assume Edwards was her second choice. He’s good; you just irritated him by not reacting the way he was counting on.” He grinned when Draco's eyes narrowed at him. “It was brilliant to watch.”
Harry’s grin widened as he watched Draco react to the words. It wouldn’t have been too obvious to anyone unused to watching him as closely as Harry was, but he could easily see the surprise in Draco's widening eyes. The Ministry’s lawyer stood and crossed to stand in front of the Wizengamot before Draco could respond, effectively ending their whispered conversation.
“The prosecution would like to call Kyle Gould to the stand.”
The urge to grab Draco's hand nearly overwhelmed Harry as he watched Gould stepping up to the witness box, but he repressed it, knowing they didn’t have any kind of physical barrier between them and the prying eyes of everyone else in the courtroom. Gould appeared calm, which Harry was thankful for. Gould had known Ginny for as long as he had known Harry and a tiny sliver of doubt that he would want to testify against a woman he had seen as a friend had made its way into Harry’s mind. It seemed that the worry was unfounded, however. The lawyer – a woman Harry had never met before – managed to surprise Harry by diving right into the questioning rather than easing into it like Richardson had done.
“Auror Gould, you were one of three Aurors who were the first responders to the commotion on the night of the Ministry Annual Ball, correct?”
“Yes, Auror Reynolds and I were the first to spot and restrain her. Auror Christiansen arrived just after us and confiscated a potion vial.”
“Could you describe what happened, starting with the second you spotted Mrs. Potter?”
Gould took a deep breath before responding. “Auror Reynolds and I had been assigned to patrol the backstage area after the Ministry had received a tipoff that there could be trouble during Auror – sorry – Mr. Potter’s retirement speech. We were told to patrol in pairs, just in case. We had just finished a sweep of the backstage area and were making our way back out towards the stage when I spotted her. Mrs. Potter was crouching in the doorway that led to the stage, a potion vial in her hand. Mr. Potter was giving his speech onstage and the doorway Mrs. Potter was standing in was where he would exit the stage. Without thinking, I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, thinking that because we had been friends, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise. It was a stupid mistake; one that I shouldn’t have made, considering the warning we had been given. Mrs. Potter flung her arm out, knocking my wand to the floor before she tried to make an escape. Standard procedure was then used to attempt to subdue Mrs. Potter. Auror Reynolds caught hold of her as she tried to rush past her. Mrs. Potter began to struggle wildly as we tried to restrain her, kicking and lashing out with her arms as well as screaming at the top of her lungs. I positioned myself behind her shoulders in order to pin her arms to her sides while Auror Reynolds restrained her legs. Auror Christiansen appeared a few seconds later and confiscated the vial Mrs. Potter had dropped in the struggle. People started flooding in after that, including Mr. Potter. Once she saw him, Mrs. Potter started struggling even more. I couldn’t quite reach my wand, since it had rolled beneath Mrs. Potter and I didn’t want to take the chance of releasing her in case she got away. Unfortunately, when I slipped my hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking, she bit down and I dropped her anyway. I overbalanced with the sudden weight shift and she managed to grab my wand before I could. Auror Reynolds was the one who Stunned Mrs. Potter, but she had already managed to cast a couple of curses at Mr. Malfoy, who was standing in the doorway to the ballroom. Mr. Potter took Mr. Malfoy to St. Mungo’s and we hauled Mrs. Potter off to lockup for the night so she could be transferred the next day to a more secure facility.”
Silence filled the court after Gould finished speaking. Harry realised he was holding his breath when Draco nudged him in the ribs. He let the breath out in a whoosh just before the lawyer spoke again.
“Ginevra Potter bit you and kicked out at you as you attempted to restrain her?”
“She did. I had my hand checked out at the hospital, but there was no serious damage.”
“And it was definitely your wand Mrs. Potter used to curse Mr. Malfoy?”
“Yes, I am sure of it.”
“Thank you, Auror Gould.” The lawyer turned to Edwards. “Your witness.”
Edwards strode out of his seat with all the confidence Harry would expect from a lawyer who knew he was going to win his case. “How can you be sure that it was your wand? You said yourself that the situation was hectic, with Mrs. Potter struggling to break your hold on her and people streaming in from the ballroom. It could very well have been Mrs. Potter’s own wand.”
“Standard procedure whenever a civilian is injured with what is suspected to be an Auror’s wand is to cast Prior Incantato on the Auror’s wand. Mrs. Potter took my wand to cast those curses.”
“You stated that Mrs. Potter was kicking and lashing out. How can you be certain that any of it was aimed at you or Auror Reynolds?”
“We were the only ones there–”
“Did you ever give any thought to the fact that she could have been defending herself from what she saw as attackers?”
“No, we–”
“Being grabbed from behind by someone you did not know was there is usually enough to cause most people to lash out at their attacker. Did you identify yourselves to her?”
“The uniform is universally recognisable, especially by an Auror’s wife. Once she saw the uniforms, if she had wanted to stop, then she would have–”
“So you didn’t–”
“Standard procedure was followed.” Harry’s eyes widened as Gould interrupted Edwards, his voice strong and authoritative. “If it appears as though the criminal is attempting to injure a member of the Corps, you verbally inform them of your identity. If that does not subdue them, you are then permitted to physically subdue them.”
“Yes,” Harry whispered, leaning forward as adrenalin pumped through his veins. It sounded like Gould and Reynolds had done things the correct way to him: this was straight out of the basics manual. “Good.”
“This woman had just been startled by being grabbed from behind when she had thought she was alone. Are you telling me that having the same person who had startled her yelling at her would have broken through her panic? That she would have recognised that you were someone she had met before?”
“Once her panic died down, she would have–”
“That is mere supposition.”
Harry’s hands clenched when Edwards didn’t allow Gould to speak, just as he had with Draco. A light touch to the small of his back had him glancing behind him. Draco wasn’t looking at him and his face was a carefully blank mask, but it was definitely his hand resting warmly on Harry’s back. Leaning back in his seat, Harry slid his fingers along Draco's arm until he could lace their fingers together behind his back. He could see Draco's eyes flick over towards him and offered up a small smile. Draco squeezed his fingers before withdrawing his hand and returning his attention to the case.
“Panic and fear have the effect of making a person irrational. As an Auror, you must know that. Mrs. Potter was operating on pure adrenalin when you and Auror Reynolds attempted to subdue her. After everything she had been through over the past two months, being seemingly attacked as she waited for her husband to finish his retirement speech pushed her just that little bit too far.” Edwards turned a smarmy smile on the Wizengamot. “This was self-defence, nothing more.”
“Thank you, Auror Gould, you may step down.” The Chief Warlock stood as Edwards made his way back to his seat. “Barrister Leung, call your next witness.”
Harry took the few seconds that it took for Barrister Leung to make her way back out into the middle of the floor to run his eyes over her. She looked cold and professional, just like every other Ministry lawyer he had ever met: her Ministry-issued deep blue robes had a patch on the left breast pocket that identified her as being employed by the Ministry; her long, straight black hair was piled in a complicated twist on the top of her head and her sensible heels tapped on the tiles as she walked. All in all, Harry got the impression that she would take absolutely no shit from anyone.
“The prosecution calls Auror Alexa Reynolds.”
Reynolds looked composed as she made her way down to the seat Gould had just vacated. Harry’s nerves jumped and he clenched his hands again but made no other reaction, aware that he was most likely being watched.
“Auror Reynolds, could you tell the court what happened the night of the Ministry Annual Ball from your perspective?”
Nodding, Reynolds smiled. “Auror Gould and I were patrolling the backstage area while Mr. Potter was giving his retirement speech. Kyle was the first to spot Mrs. Potter; I didn’t realise she was there until after he had reached out to her. When she swung her arm and knocked Kyle’s wand from his hand, I identified myself and grabbed her before she could exit the room. With the way she started flailing around, there wasn’t all that much we could do other than hold her so she didn’t manage to hurt either us or her. I was kicked a few times in the struggle, but nothing serious. It was Kyle’s wand that Mrs. Potter took after she bit him; I saw her grab it once she struggled free. She cast a couple of non-verbal spells at someone behind me; I didn’t have a clear line of sight to the door, so I didn’t know what had happened until later when I saw Mr. Potter carrying Mr. Malfoy just before he Apparated to the hospital. Once she was on the floor again, I was able to Stun her and Kyle and I hauled her off to the cells for the night.”
“You definitely identified yourself to Mrs. Potter before attempting to subdue her?”
“Yes ma’am. Standard procedure was followed at every stage during this arrest. I stated my name and rank clearly to Mrs. Potter as I stepped in front of her to prevent her from leaving. When she continued to attempt to leave, I grabbed her. That was when she began thrashing and kicking.”
“Tell me, Auror Reynolds, did you see any indications that Mrs. Potter was suffering from some kind of mania? Anything that indicated that she had either not heard or not understood you when you identified yourself?”
“I–”
“Objection, supposition!”
Barrister Leung turned immediately to face the Chief Warlock. “Aurors are trained to spot signs of danger in the people they approach. They learn to read their suspects’ body language to make certain that they don’t place themselves in any unnecessary danger. Auror Reynolds is therefore qualified to say whether she believes that Mrs. Potter was suffering from a manic episode.”
The Chief Warlock sat staring between Leung and Edwards, obviously tossing the two ideas around. Unable to help it, Harry leant forward to rest his elbows on his knees again. His muscles twitched with anticipation as he waited for the Chief Warlock to speak again.
“I shall allow Auror Reynolds to answer, but the court is reminded that she is not a qualified psychologist.”
Edwards rolled his eyes and Harry grinned. Still leaning forward with his hands clenched, Harry turned his attention back to Reynolds.
“What I saw in Mrs. Potter’s body language told me that she was scared and angry, but not manic. She flinched when I identified myself. That was when she really started trying to resist us and when I made the decision that she needed restraining.”
“Thank you, Auror Reynolds. Your witness.”
Edwards strode out of his seat again, still looking confident. “Your emotions dictate your actions; that is a known fact. Standing in front of a woman who had just been startled by your partner, you could easily tell that Mrs. Potter was scared and angry. She was being confronted by two Aurors in full uniform; two Aurors who were friends with her estranged husband. Is there not even the slightest possibility that Mrs. Potter was acting solely on her emotions? That they were making her behave irrationally?”
“Well…” Reynolds paused, clearly considering Edwards’ words and Harry’s nerves jumped. “It is obviously possible that what I saw was Mrs. Potter acting solely on instinct. I believe that her consequent actions cancel out that possibility, though.”
“How long would say passed between the second Auror Gould placed his hand on Mrs. Potter’s shoulder to the time you Stunned her?”
“It must have only been a few minutes.”
“And, in your experience, how long does it usually take for a person who is suffering from a mental condition to calm themselves down?”
“Objection! As Barrister Edwards has clearly stated, Auror Reynolds is not a psychologist.”
“Yet she was perfectly capable of giving her opinion when you asked.”
Harry glanced between Edwards standing in the middle of the floor near Ginny and Leung, who was sitting calmly in her seat. Edwards appeared to be just as frustrated as when Richardson had stymied his attempts at discrediting Harry and Draco; Leung must have been the calmest lawyer Harry had ever seen. The contrast would have been fascinating if the stakes of this case weren’t so high for him.
“There is a rather large difference between the two questions asked of Auror Reynolds, Barrister Edwards. Your question would be more appropriately addressed to an actual psychologist. Objection upheld.”
Edwards scowled at the Chief Warlock for the briefest of moments before turning to face Ginny. From his vantage point in the stands, Harry still had a good view of Edwards’ face and what he saw caused excitement to race through his veins: with a slight shake of his head, Edwards offered Ginny a helpless look. This was the first time that he had truly had the hope that they would be able to pull off this case with every charge falling on their side. Sitting back in his seat again, he automatically glanced over at Draco with an excited grin on his face. The smile that Draco offered up almost had Harry laughing in response. He returned his attention to the floor again when Edwards spoke.
“You had no view of the doorway in which Mr. Malfoy stood, you did not see Auror Gould place his hand on Mrs. Potter’s shoulder, and the only useful information you have offered up is speculation on Mrs. Potter’s mental state.”
“I–”
“I would ask the court to please remember that everything that we have been told about Mrs. Potter’s mental state up to this point has been given by people who are unqualified to give such opinions.”
Harry scowled when Edwards spoke loudly over the top of Reynolds’ indignant-sounding retort. The Chief Warlock stood as Edwards returned to his seat.
“Thank you, Auror Reynolds, you may return to your seat.” A small buzz of conversation stated as Reynolds changed seats again and the Chief Warlock cleared her throat for silence. “Court shall adjourn for the day. We shall resume at 9am tomorrow.”
Harry sat still in his seat as the courtroom slowly began to empty. It really seemed to him that they were making headway on disproving Edwards’ claim that Ginny had been suffering from mental issues the night of the Annual Ball, but it would be the next day that would really make the difference. With Ginny testifying herself and being cross-examined by both Leung and Richardson, it would prove to be an interesting day. He jumped when Draco's hand slid over his thigh.
“Harry?”
Turning to look into Draco's eyes reminded Harry that before he had to deal with Ginny’s testimony, he had to sort out the issues he had been having with Draco. He also knew he had to go pick up his children from the Burrow and that he had to speak to James before he could speak to Draco. It looked like that day was going to be incredibly long when all he really wanted right at that moment was to fall into a boneless heap. He let out a small sigh and nodded as he covered Draco's hand with his own.
“I know we have to talk. Are you willing to wait until tonight?” Harry watched Draco eyeing the last of the stragglers leave the courtroom. “That will give me time to get the kids sorted out and have a word with James myself.”
Draco waited until the last person had left the courtroom before reacting. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips lightly over Harry’s, sending a tendril of desire down Harry’s spine.
“I’ll floo in at nine.”
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19 Years and 5 Minutes Later