Harry Potter and The Serpent King (BP5)
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
52
Views:
20,718
Reviews:
85
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
52
Views:
20,718
Reviews:
85
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
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.
Victory Won, Lives Lost
Chapter Number/Total: 46/52
Chapter Title: Victory Won, Lives Lost
Words: 2656 Words
The day had been very long, one of the longest days of Harry's life. The victory had not come without a cost. Many brave lives had been lost in battle, many of them close to Harry. Nearly half the Order had been killed, including Kingsley, and, perhaps worst of all, Hagrid. Some of the Hogwarts teachers had died and many of the witches and wizards from the Ministry, including some Aurors. Harry was glad that all of the Weasleys had managed to stay alive, though Fred had been badly injured and had almost lost his life. George and Mrs Weasley had refused to leave his side even once until his eyes were open again after some miraculous wand work from Madam Pomfrey.
There were many, many injured. Luckily, St Mungo's was able to send a large amount of Healers over to help those in need. Fred and George's kits had saved dozens of lives with the quick potions from Draco, and the twins' products, and, largely with the help of the kits, the numbers injured were higher than those killed.
Everything felt bittersweet to Harry as he sat down to a private dinner away from the very full Great Hall with the remaining Order members and close friends.
Draco had managed to get treated himself with magical burn ointment after everything was over. His stomach and chest were still pink and now smooth with new skin. He hoped it wouldn't scar. Harry's scar had opened during the final confrontation and was still looking an angry red colour. Holding Valen in his lap and eating his food, Draco sat quietly, listening to the others tell the stories of what happened at Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. With the battle including giants, the town was demolished.
"And we thought it was hopeless then," said Bill. "They were breaking into the castle and we couldn't hold them back."
"And then comes Hagrid with the two bloody giants," said George sadly, but smiling.
"He was roaring like a lunatic," said Fred, who was very heavily bandaged around the middle and basically being held together with magic, though he had still insisted on coming to dinner. "I've never seen such amazing fighting."
Hermione wiped tears from her face.
Tonks' hair was actually a natural colour for a change. She had spilled her drink twice already during the meal and was now picking at her food. "We had just lost Shacklebolt," she said, "and I didn't think we would have anybody left in another couple minutes. They saved a lot of us."
Mr Weasley nodded. "Yes, they did, but the Death Eaters still got into the school. A good lot of them anyway. We couldn't prevent them from going straight for the Muggles. We lost some of them too, but Minerva was able to block the doors off so that the rest of them couldn't get in."
Professor McGonagall was overseeing the dinner in the Great Hall.
"And Moody?" Harry asked quietly.
"He was one of the first lost," said Mr Weasley. "He dove right in, but he took a great many with him."
Draco had a great many questions about the battle but he thought it inappropriate to ask which of his old friends had been killed by his new ones. Valen distracted him for a moment when he grabbed a spoon and began banging it on his father’s silver hand. Draco moved his hand out of range and the infant continued to happily beat on his leg instead.
"We lost a few teachers," said Bill, "but not before they managed to at least take down everyone who'd gotten into the school. Which took quite a bit of time. The sun was rising by this point."
"And the Dementors were starting to fall back," said Fred. "Especially when we sent a nearly solid wall of Patronus Charms, but that's around when I got hurt."
"The centaurs were fighting then too," said Mrs Weasley.
"I saw them when we were leaving to help Harry," said Ron.
"We kept expecting He-Who, I mean, Voldemort, to show up any minute," Tonks said. "Then we saw you six flying off on the Thestrals."
Bill nodded. "There's no denying we were terrified," he said, absently rubbing Fleur's now protruding belly.
"And bloody confused," said George. "We didn't know what the hell was going on with you lot. We knew Harry was supposed to be going after V-Voldemort, but we didn't know all of that was going to happen."
"Mum was going mad," said Fred.
"And she had good reason," said Mr Weasley. "None of us could find Harry, and not all of us had seen the Thestrals flying off. We thought Voldemort had moved in somehow and taken him."
"Especially after what happened at the Manor," Tonks said. "I was worried that some of the Hogwart's house-elves might be involved."
"And then near the end," said Bill, "the Dark Marks that the Death Eaters had sent up started exploding in the sky and we knew something was going on."
"After that, some of them ran, but a lot of them stayed," said Mr Weasley. "Mostly the werewolves ran."
"More and more took off, though," said George, "and the only ones left fought to the death."
Tonks shuddered, pushing her plate away. "That was disgusting," she said.
Draco was wondering about the ones that got away. How would they be dealt with? Would they give up now that Voldemort was dead? How would the Ministry handle it?
Harry was thinking much the same thing as Draco, but it was really too much to think about at this point. "That must have been when I was fighting him," Harry said.
Draco's eyes looked far away as he remembered the final minutes of that battle. His heart clenched painfully as he relived in his mind the moment Severus threw himself in front of him, taking the Killing Curse for him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath again.
Harry and the others had already told what had happened to them, so there was no need to go over it again. Harry took Draco's hand, having a feeling that he knew what Draco was thinking of. Then he got to his feet and raised his glass. Everyone went silent.
"I want to make a toast to those who fought with us. To those who are injured even at this table, to those who died bravely, fighting to make our world safe, to those who sacrificed themselves for their friends and family and for our world in general. In the words of Albus Dumbledore, much wiser words than any I could come up with, it is our choices that show us who we really are. I want to make a toast to the true heroes, who chose to fight for good, to sacrifice for good, to give their lives for good."
"Cheers, Harry," said Ron and Hermione, draining their glasses with him. The others did as well.
Draco raised his glass and took a sip. Then he set the glass on the table and dipped his finger into the wine. He put a single drop of the dark liquid on his son's lips. Valen made a confused face. "So you can say you were here and toasted with us," he whispered to the baby.
Hermione was crying again as Harry took his seat and kissed Draco on the cheek, feeling better now that he'd said what he wanted. He smiled a bit, knowing that he had a long road ahead of him, and it was long, long and very rocky at the start, but he could see where the pavement started and he couldn't wait to get there.
***
Harry came back to the Gryffindor tower after helping to deal with some more of the people downstairs. He had been intending to find his husband, but was distracted by an envelope with his name on it stuck to the frame of the Fat Lady's portrait. He frowned confusedly and then looked around himself before plucking the envelope down and opening it.
The Fat Lady snickered at him, blushing as she mimed the act of buttoning her lip.
The note read: Get your map and Cloak. Find me. DM
Harry grinned very widely. He gave the password to the Fat Lady and went inside. His Cloak and his map had both been used by Order members and he was glad that they were there.
He saw Ron and Hermione on one of the couches with Valen, and others milling about the room, but he didn't say anything. He merely climbed the stairs to get what he needed and then quickly came back down to leave again. If anyone found this strange, he didn't notice and they didn't voice their curiosity. Once in the hall again, he pulled out the map to look for Draco's name.
There were a lot of unfamiliar names on the map, but even really concentrating, he could not find the name Draco Malfoy anywhere. At once, he knew where he was. Grinning even wider, Harry slipped his Invisibility Cloak over his head and very quickly made his way down to the seventh floor corridor. The door of the Room of Requirement was waiting for him and he wasn't sure if he should knock on it, or simply open it. He settled for knocking a few times, waiting excitedly.
Draco was wearing his Slytherin school robes when he opened the door and leaned on the frame. "Well, Potter," he drawled, "took you long enough."
Harry had to smile so wide it hurt so that he could wipe it off when he took the Cloak off. He let it slip from his head and threw it over his shoulder. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he said, raising an eyebrow as he also narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"The question is really about what you want," Draco sneered. "You have been following me."
"I have not," Harry said. "You're mad."
"Maybe, but here you are," Draco said, gesturing to Harry.
Harry rolled his eyes. "What are you doing in there?" he said after a moment.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to come in?" he asked in a mock polite voice.
"Not if I don't know what's in there," Harry said, eyes still narrowed suspiciously.
"Won't know until you try, will you?" Draco asked.
Harry pretended to think about this for a moment, when all he really wanted to do was bounce happily into the room. "Fine, whatever," he said a bit warily, actually trying to keep the smile away.
Draco stepped aside, gesturing with his arm and holding the door.
Harry stepped slowly inside, having to hold himself back from pressing against Draco and grinding into him as he passed by him through the door.
It was their old sitting room, of course, with tea service on the table.
Harry allowed himself a smile as his head was turned, so that Draco was unable to see, although he knew that his husband had to know how happy this made him. "You sit in here and drink tea?" he said, the smile in his voice only slightly detectable.
Draco closed the door and shrugged. "Sometimes," he said, and sauntered over, taking a seat at the end of the sofa.
Harry watched Draco and remained standing before he cautiously took a seat on the other end, staring at Draco silently.
"Tea?" Draco asked, pouring himself a cup and smirking a bit.
Harry gave Draco the needed strange look before nodding once. "Sure ...." he said slowly. He wondered how long he would be able to take sitting so far away and found himself thinking of when he had wanted nothing more than to sit this far from Draco, even further he if could've.
Draco poured them both tea and set a cup in front of his lover. He didn't bother to ask about sugar this time, adding it automatically. He also set a small plate of biscuits in front of Harry as well, before leaning back against the couch with his own drink.
Harry picked up his tea and sipped it as well, knowing what had come next. "So ...." he said, faking uncertainty.
"Yes, Potter?" Draco sneered impatiently. "Do you have a question?"
"You're the one who asked me here," Harry said, narrowing his eyes slightly again. "What do you want? I could just get up and leave."
"Sure, you could do that," Draco said, "but then you would never know, would you?"
"Never know what?" Harry asked.
Draco huffed and rolled his eyes. "You really are thick, aren't you?" he sneered.
Harry made a noise of indignance. "No, but you are if you think I'm going to sit here and have you insult me." He really was confused. He wasn't sure if they were acting out the exact day or something else, but then he decided to go for it. "Why did you do what you did ... earlier?" he said, faking being uncomfortable now.
Draco smiled and set his tea down. He sat with his arms across the back and side of the sofa and brought one leg up with his knee bent so that his body was open and displayed for Harry. He was still clothed but he also knew the pose would get Harry's heart racing. "Why did I shove you against a wall?" he asked in mock innocence.
Harry absolutely could not help staring at Draco for at least a moment. He swallowed slightly. "Er ... yeah," he said, looking at the blond's face again.
"Or do you really want to ask why I kissed you?" Draco drawled.
Harry had been distracted as Draco had moved, and hadn't realised what he had said yes to. He honestly blushed at being so pitifully turned on by such a simple thing from the man he'd been with every day for more than a year. "I - yes," he said, hoping Draco ignored his absentmindedness.
"So, you have no idea why I kissed you?" Draco asked, smirking as his lover stared at him with that hungry expression.
Harry licked his lips slightly. "No," he said. "You sort of just ... did it out of the blue."
"And what if I told you I had a secret?" Draco asked. "Would you want to know what it is?"
Harry's curiosity was very close to being very real. He wanted to know what this "secret" was, even if he probably already knew it. "What's the secret?" he said.
"Kiss me and I will tell you," Draco said, breathing faster now.
Harry swallowed again. "Will the answer even be worth a kiss if I do kiss you?" he asked slowly, voice almost husky and nearly directly opposite from when he had first said it.
The blond's smirk was closer to a grin and he raised his eyebrows. "The kiss may be worth the kiss. All I can promise about the answer is that it will be true," he said, his voice low as well.
"I'll do it," Harry said, no resentment or hesitation in his tone.
Draco nodded and held his chin up a bit, waiting.
Harry didn't ask if the kiss had to be a certain way. He had a very certain way in mind already. He slowly made his way across the couch to, once again, hover over Draco Malfoy, staring down at him.
Draco's breath hitched as Harry moved in to kiss him. After fourteen months as his lover, the other man still did this to him. He still trembled at his touch.
Harry opened his mouth slightly, lowering his body a bit over Draco's, just like the first time - well, perhaps a little quicker than the first time.
Draco looked up into those stunning green eyes and tried to hold still, waiting for the kiss.
Finally, because it felt like forever to him, Harry's lips touched Draco's and he sighed quietly, kissing him softly.
Chapter Title: Victory Won, Lives Lost
Words: 2656 Words
The day had been very long, one of the longest days of Harry's life. The victory had not come without a cost. Many brave lives had been lost in battle, many of them close to Harry. Nearly half the Order had been killed, including Kingsley, and, perhaps worst of all, Hagrid. Some of the Hogwarts teachers had died and many of the witches and wizards from the Ministry, including some Aurors. Harry was glad that all of the Weasleys had managed to stay alive, though Fred had been badly injured and had almost lost his life. George and Mrs Weasley had refused to leave his side even once until his eyes were open again after some miraculous wand work from Madam Pomfrey.
There were many, many injured. Luckily, St Mungo's was able to send a large amount of Healers over to help those in need. Fred and George's kits had saved dozens of lives with the quick potions from Draco, and the twins' products, and, largely with the help of the kits, the numbers injured were higher than those killed.
Everything felt bittersweet to Harry as he sat down to a private dinner away from the very full Great Hall with the remaining Order members and close friends.
Draco had managed to get treated himself with magical burn ointment after everything was over. His stomach and chest were still pink and now smooth with new skin. He hoped it wouldn't scar. Harry's scar had opened during the final confrontation and was still looking an angry red colour. Holding Valen in his lap and eating his food, Draco sat quietly, listening to the others tell the stories of what happened at Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. With the battle including giants, the town was demolished.
"And we thought it was hopeless then," said Bill. "They were breaking into the castle and we couldn't hold them back."
"And then comes Hagrid with the two bloody giants," said George sadly, but smiling.
"He was roaring like a lunatic," said Fred, who was very heavily bandaged around the middle and basically being held together with magic, though he had still insisted on coming to dinner. "I've never seen such amazing fighting."
Hermione wiped tears from her face.
Tonks' hair was actually a natural colour for a change. She had spilled her drink twice already during the meal and was now picking at her food. "We had just lost Shacklebolt," she said, "and I didn't think we would have anybody left in another couple minutes. They saved a lot of us."
Mr Weasley nodded. "Yes, they did, but the Death Eaters still got into the school. A good lot of them anyway. We couldn't prevent them from going straight for the Muggles. We lost some of them too, but Minerva was able to block the doors off so that the rest of them couldn't get in."
Professor McGonagall was overseeing the dinner in the Great Hall.
"And Moody?" Harry asked quietly.
"He was one of the first lost," said Mr Weasley. "He dove right in, but he took a great many with him."
Draco had a great many questions about the battle but he thought it inappropriate to ask which of his old friends had been killed by his new ones. Valen distracted him for a moment when he grabbed a spoon and began banging it on his father’s silver hand. Draco moved his hand out of range and the infant continued to happily beat on his leg instead.
"We lost a few teachers," said Bill, "but not before they managed to at least take down everyone who'd gotten into the school. Which took quite a bit of time. The sun was rising by this point."
"And the Dementors were starting to fall back," said Fred. "Especially when we sent a nearly solid wall of Patronus Charms, but that's around when I got hurt."
"The centaurs were fighting then too," said Mrs Weasley.
"I saw them when we were leaving to help Harry," said Ron.
"We kept expecting He-Who, I mean, Voldemort, to show up any minute," Tonks said. "Then we saw you six flying off on the Thestrals."
Bill nodded. "There's no denying we were terrified," he said, absently rubbing Fleur's now protruding belly.
"And bloody confused," said George. "We didn't know what the hell was going on with you lot. We knew Harry was supposed to be going after V-Voldemort, but we didn't know all of that was going to happen."
"Mum was going mad," said Fred.
"And she had good reason," said Mr Weasley. "None of us could find Harry, and not all of us had seen the Thestrals flying off. We thought Voldemort had moved in somehow and taken him."
"Especially after what happened at the Manor," Tonks said. "I was worried that some of the Hogwart's house-elves might be involved."
"And then near the end," said Bill, "the Dark Marks that the Death Eaters had sent up started exploding in the sky and we knew something was going on."
"After that, some of them ran, but a lot of them stayed," said Mr Weasley. "Mostly the werewolves ran."
"More and more took off, though," said George, "and the only ones left fought to the death."
Tonks shuddered, pushing her plate away. "That was disgusting," she said.
Draco was wondering about the ones that got away. How would they be dealt with? Would they give up now that Voldemort was dead? How would the Ministry handle it?
Harry was thinking much the same thing as Draco, but it was really too much to think about at this point. "That must have been when I was fighting him," Harry said.
Draco's eyes looked far away as he remembered the final minutes of that battle. His heart clenched painfully as he relived in his mind the moment Severus threw himself in front of him, taking the Killing Curse for him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath again.
Harry and the others had already told what had happened to them, so there was no need to go over it again. Harry took Draco's hand, having a feeling that he knew what Draco was thinking of. Then he got to his feet and raised his glass. Everyone went silent.
"I want to make a toast to those who fought with us. To those who are injured even at this table, to those who died bravely, fighting to make our world safe, to those who sacrificed themselves for their friends and family and for our world in general. In the words of Albus Dumbledore, much wiser words than any I could come up with, it is our choices that show us who we really are. I want to make a toast to the true heroes, who chose to fight for good, to sacrifice for good, to give their lives for good."
"Cheers, Harry," said Ron and Hermione, draining their glasses with him. The others did as well.
Draco raised his glass and took a sip. Then he set the glass on the table and dipped his finger into the wine. He put a single drop of the dark liquid on his son's lips. Valen made a confused face. "So you can say you were here and toasted with us," he whispered to the baby.
Hermione was crying again as Harry took his seat and kissed Draco on the cheek, feeling better now that he'd said what he wanted. He smiled a bit, knowing that he had a long road ahead of him, and it was long, long and very rocky at the start, but he could see where the pavement started and he couldn't wait to get there.
***
Harry came back to the Gryffindor tower after helping to deal with some more of the people downstairs. He had been intending to find his husband, but was distracted by an envelope with his name on it stuck to the frame of the Fat Lady's portrait. He frowned confusedly and then looked around himself before plucking the envelope down and opening it.
The Fat Lady snickered at him, blushing as she mimed the act of buttoning her lip.
The note read: Get your map and Cloak. Find me. DM
Harry grinned very widely. He gave the password to the Fat Lady and went inside. His Cloak and his map had both been used by Order members and he was glad that they were there.
He saw Ron and Hermione on one of the couches with Valen, and others milling about the room, but he didn't say anything. He merely climbed the stairs to get what he needed and then quickly came back down to leave again. If anyone found this strange, he didn't notice and they didn't voice their curiosity. Once in the hall again, he pulled out the map to look for Draco's name.
There were a lot of unfamiliar names on the map, but even really concentrating, he could not find the name Draco Malfoy anywhere. At once, he knew where he was. Grinning even wider, Harry slipped his Invisibility Cloak over his head and very quickly made his way down to the seventh floor corridor. The door of the Room of Requirement was waiting for him and he wasn't sure if he should knock on it, or simply open it. He settled for knocking a few times, waiting excitedly.
Draco was wearing his Slytherin school robes when he opened the door and leaned on the frame. "Well, Potter," he drawled, "took you long enough."
Harry had to smile so wide it hurt so that he could wipe it off when he took the Cloak off. He let it slip from his head and threw it over his shoulder. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he said, raising an eyebrow as he also narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"The question is really about what you want," Draco sneered. "You have been following me."
"I have not," Harry said. "You're mad."
"Maybe, but here you are," Draco said, gesturing to Harry.
Harry rolled his eyes. "What are you doing in there?" he said after a moment.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to come in?" he asked in a mock polite voice.
"Not if I don't know what's in there," Harry said, eyes still narrowed suspiciously.
"Won't know until you try, will you?" Draco asked.
Harry pretended to think about this for a moment, when all he really wanted to do was bounce happily into the room. "Fine, whatever," he said a bit warily, actually trying to keep the smile away.
Draco stepped aside, gesturing with his arm and holding the door.
Harry stepped slowly inside, having to hold himself back from pressing against Draco and grinding into him as he passed by him through the door.
It was their old sitting room, of course, with tea service on the table.
Harry allowed himself a smile as his head was turned, so that Draco was unable to see, although he knew that his husband had to know how happy this made him. "You sit in here and drink tea?" he said, the smile in his voice only slightly detectable.
Draco closed the door and shrugged. "Sometimes," he said, and sauntered over, taking a seat at the end of the sofa.
Harry watched Draco and remained standing before he cautiously took a seat on the other end, staring at Draco silently.
"Tea?" Draco asked, pouring himself a cup and smirking a bit.
Harry gave Draco the needed strange look before nodding once. "Sure ...." he said slowly. He wondered how long he would be able to take sitting so far away and found himself thinking of when he had wanted nothing more than to sit this far from Draco, even further he if could've.
Draco poured them both tea and set a cup in front of his lover. He didn't bother to ask about sugar this time, adding it automatically. He also set a small plate of biscuits in front of Harry as well, before leaning back against the couch with his own drink.
Harry picked up his tea and sipped it as well, knowing what had come next. "So ...." he said, faking uncertainty.
"Yes, Potter?" Draco sneered impatiently. "Do you have a question?"
"You're the one who asked me here," Harry said, narrowing his eyes slightly again. "What do you want? I could just get up and leave."
"Sure, you could do that," Draco said, "but then you would never know, would you?"
"Never know what?" Harry asked.
Draco huffed and rolled his eyes. "You really are thick, aren't you?" he sneered.
Harry made a noise of indignance. "No, but you are if you think I'm going to sit here and have you insult me." He really was confused. He wasn't sure if they were acting out the exact day or something else, but then he decided to go for it. "Why did you do what you did ... earlier?" he said, faking being uncomfortable now.
Draco smiled and set his tea down. He sat with his arms across the back and side of the sofa and brought one leg up with his knee bent so that his body was open and displayed for Harry. He was still clothed but he also knew the pose would get Harry's heart racing. "Why did I shove you against a wall?" he asked in mock innocence.
Harry absolutely could not help staring at Draco for at least a moment. He swallowed slightly. "Er ... yeah," he said, looking at the blond's face again.
"Or do you really want to ask why I kissed you?" Draco drawled.
Harry had been distracted as Draco had moved, and hadn't realised what he had said yes to. He honestly blushed at being so pitifully turned on by such a simple thing from the man he'd been with every day for more than a year. "I - yes," he said, hoping Draco ignored his absentmindedness.
"So, you have no idea why I kissed you?" Draco asked, smirking as his lover stared at him with that hungry expression.
Harry licked his lips slightly. "No," he said. "You sort of just ... did it out of the blue."
"And what if I told you I had a secret?" Draco asked. "Would you want to know what it is?"
Harry's curiosity was very close to being very real. He wanted to know what this "secret" was, even if he probably already knew it. "What's the secret?" he said.
"Kiss me and I will tell you," Draco said, breathing faster now.
Harry swallowed again. "Will the answer even be worth a kiss if I do kiss you?" he asked slowly, voice almost husky and nearly directly opposite from when he had first said it.
The blond's smirk was closer to a grin and he raised his eyebrows. "The kiss may be worth the kiss. All I can promise about the answer is that it will be true," he said, his voice low as well.
"I'll do it," Harry said, no resentment or hesitation in his tone.
Draco nodded and held his chin up a bit, waiting.
Harry didn't ask if the kiss had to be a certain way. He had a very certain way in mind already. He slowly made his way across the couch to, once again, hover over Draco Malfoy, staring down at him.
Draco's breath hitched as Harry moved in to kiss him. After fourteen months as his lover, the other man still did this to him. He still trembled at his touch.
Harry opened his mouth slightly, lowering his body a bit over Draco's, just like the first time - well, perhaps a little quicker than the first time.
Draco looked up into those stunning green eyes and tried to hold still, waiting for the kiss.
Finally, because it felt like forever to him, Harry's lips touched Draco's and he sighed quietly, kissing him softly.