Fran's Archive: Snowflakes
Another story found on the old journal. This Resolution futurefic is set about 4 or 5 years after the main story. It was originally written in March 2002
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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“Snowflakes”
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He woke up alone.
It was strange how he could always tell when Harry wasn’t in the bed. Normally the dark haired boy would be wrapped around him, but even when they slept apart, he knew when Harry wasn’t beside him.
Draco ran a hand over the spot where Harry normally slept. It was cold.
He turned onto his back and pushed himself onto his elbows, grey sleepy eyes surveying the small low-ceilinged bedroom. There was a chill in the air, which caused his skin to tingle and turn to gooseflesh almost instantly. It had snowed yesterday and they had walked out in it, playing like children again. Forgetting for a short while that they were both warriors.
Moonlight flooded through the room’s single window, playing on the figure sitting on the window seat. The light turned the normally tanned bare torso strangely pale, almost ethereal. Thin arms were wrapped around the figure’s pyjama-clad knees, which were drawn up tightly to his chest, and the dark head was resting on them, face turned to the window.
“Harry?” The figure didn’t move.
Throwing back the covers, Draco rubbed his arms, trying to take off the chill that had settled on them. He reached for his robe, left over the foot of the bed earlier, and pulled it on. Grabbing Harry’s dark blue robe, he crossed to the window and laid a hand on a bare shoulder. “Fuck, Harry, You’re freezing.”
The figure didn’t move as Draco wrapped the robe around his shoulders and in the end he had to prise the arms from around Harry’s knees and place them into the sleeves. He quickly retrieved his wand from the bedside table and muttered a warming spell onto both their rover both of them.
As if finally aware he was no longer alone, the dark head turned away from the window. “It’s snowing again.”
Draco’s hand rubbed at the other’s shoulders as if trying to work the magical warmth through the cloth and into the cold flesh beneath. He didn’t speak, choosing instead to give Harry a silence in which to voice his own thoughts.
“I woke up and it was snowing and I thought I would watch it for a bit.”
“Come on back to bed. You can watch it from there.”
“Not just yet.” He turned back to the window and in the moonlight Draco saw the trace of tears on Harry’s face.
“Oh, love, what is it?” Draco pulled the thin frame into a soft embrace, enfolding Harry within his own robe. Arms suddenly wound around his waist and he felt the soft caress of hair and skin against his chest. He leaned down and kissed the dark head. “Come on, talk to me.”
Harry’s body quaked slightly, his voice hitching as he tried hard not to cry again. “I just... Oh, I don’t know. I just feel useless.”
“What? Useless? You defeated Voldemort. You’ve just been given the Order of Merlin. You’ve been given awards they’ve made up just for you. You’ve been fêted by most of the Wizarding world. People fall at your feet and praise you.” Draco tilted Harry’s head a little and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. “Hell, I fall at your feet and praise you. I’ll do it now if you want.”
Arms tightened around Draco’s waist. “I’m sorry.”
“And stop saying sorry all the time. What have you to be sorry about?” The shrug was made against Draco’s chest, a small almost imperceptible movement.
“People just expect so much. I don’t want to be famous. I just want to be me. I want to be able to go out without people recognising me all the time. I want to do an ordinary job -- like Percy, something with an in-tray for me to work through, and that I can forget about when I come home. I want to come home and make you supper and know that you’ll be here and not off chasing down some ex-Death Eater. I fed up fighting evil and of you risking you life all the time.”
“You’d be bored out of your skull inside a week and I don’t risk my life.”
“You do, every time we go out there together. People are after you because of me and because of your father wants you dead.” Harry gave a small bitter laugh. “I’m surprised you even want to stay with me. It would be a lot safer if you just left. I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Now you are being stupid.” Draco grabbed hold of Harry’s chin and turned his face up. The kiss on Harry’s mouth was long and hard, and when he finally drew away Harry was gasping for breath. “When will you get it through that thick head of yours just how special you are to people -- how special you are to me.”
“I don’t feel it.” The voice was almost timid.
“That’s because you don’t see yourself as others do. You don’t see the funny, clever, talented weaver of dreams that they do.”
“Not everyone does.”
“True. Just a moment and I will list the gits who hate you. Hey, guess what? They are all followers of Voldemort and the reason they hate you is because you defeated their master yet again. Why is what they say more important than the words of those who love you? One person says something nasty and all the good things get forgotten. They aren’t important, Harry.”
“But...”
“No buts, love. If you don’t cheer up, I am going to shag you senseless in a few minutes.”
“That seems to be your answer for everything.”
“Well --” Draco slid an arm under the still bent knees and pulled Harry into his arms. “-- it normally works.” He crossed the few spaces to the bed and somehow managed to pull the sheets back without putting his precious bundle down.
Removing the robe and pyjama bottoms, Draco pulled the sheets back over them both. He ran a hand through the thick dark hair, pushing it from the beloved face. “Nothing I say can make it better. Only you can do that. But I am here for as long as you want me. I’m not going anywhere and the only way you’ll ever get rid of me is to send me away yourself.” Very carefully, he touched Harry’s cheek, still wet and sticky from the earlier tears, kissing away the salty liquid.
“I’m s...”
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry. If you do I’ll go and sleep in the spare room.”
Finally Draco was rewarded with a small smile. He kissed it. “Good.”
Harry gasped into the kiss as Draco’s hand closed around him. “Now, what was I saying about how special you were?”
Fin
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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“Snowflakes”
------------------------------------------------
He woke up alone.
It was strange how he could always tell when Harry wasn’t in the bed. Normally the dark haired boy would be wrapped around him, but even when they slept apart, he knew when Harry wasn’t beside him.
Draco ran a hand over the spot where Harry normally slept. It was cold.
He turned onto his back and pushed himself onto his elbows, grey sleepy eyes surveying the small low-ceilinged bedroom. There was a chill in the air, which caused his skin to tingle and turn to gooseflesh almost instantly. It had snowed yesterday and they had walked out in it, playing like children again. Forgetting for a short while that they were both warriors.
Moonlight flooded through the room’s single window, playing on the figure sitting on the window seat. The light turned the normally tanned bare torso strangely pale, almost ethereal. Thin arms were wrapped around the figure’s pyjama-clad knees, which were drawn up tightly to his chest, and the dark head was resting on them, face turned to the window.
“Harry?” The figure didn’t move.
Throwing back the covers, Draco rubbed his arms, trying to take off the chill that had settled on them. He reached for his robe, left over the foot of the bed earlier, and pulled it on. Grabbing Harry’s dark blue robe, he crossed to the window and laid a hand on a bare shoulder. “Fuck, Harry, You’re freezing.”
The figure didn’t move as Draco wrapped the robe around his shoulders and in the end he had to prise the arms from around Harry’s knees and place them into the sleeves. He quickly retrieved his wand from the bedside table and muttered a warming spell onto both their rover both of them.
As if finally aware he was no longer alone, the dark head turned away from the window. “It’s snowing again.”
Draco’s hand rubbed at the other’s shoulders as if trying to work the magical warmth through the cloth and into the cold flesh beneath. He didn’t speak, choosing instead to give Harry a silence in which to voice his own thoughts.
“I woke up and it was snowing and I thought I would watch it for a bit.”
“Come on back to bed. You can watch it from there.”
“Not just yet.” He turned back to the window and in the moonlight Draco saw the trace of tears on Harry’s face.
“Oh, love, what is it?” Draco pulled the thin frame into a soft embrace, enfolding Harry within his own robe. Arms suddenly wound around his waist and he felt the soft caress of hair and skin against his chest. He leaned down and kissed the dark head. “Come on, talk to me.”
Harry’s body quaked slightly, his voice hitching as he tried hard not to cry again. “I just... Oh, I don’t know. I just feel useless.”
“What? Useless? You defeated Voldemort. You’ve just been given the Order of Merlin. You’ve been given awards they’ve made up just for you. You’ve been fêted by most of the Wizarding world. People fall at your feet and praise you.” Draco tilted Harry’s head a little and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. “Hell, I fall at your feet and praise you. I’ll do it now if you want.”
Arms tightened around Draco’s waist. “I’m sorry.”
“And stop saying sorry all the time. What have you to be sorry about?” The shrug was made against Draco’s chest, a small almost imperceptible movement.
“People just expect so much. I don’t want to be famous. I just want to be me. I want to be able to go out without people recognising me all the time. I want to do an ordinary job -- like Percy, something with an in-tray for me to work through, and that I can forget about when I come home. I want to come home and make you supper and know that you’ll be here and not off chasing down some ex-Death Eater. I fed up fighting evil and of you risking you life all the time.”
“You’d be bored out of your skull inside a week and I don’t risk my life.”
“You do, every time we go out there together. People are after you because of me and because of your father wants you dead.” Harry gave a small bitter laugh. “I’m surprised you even want to stay with me. It would be a lot safer if you just left. I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Now you are being stupid.” Draco grabbed hold of Harry’s chin and turned his face up. The kiss on Harry’s mouth was long and hard, and when he finally drew away Harry was gasping for breath. “When will you get it through that thick head of yours just how special you are to people -- how special you are to me.”
“I don’t feel it.” The voice was almost timid.
“That’s because you don’t see yourself as others do. You don’t see the funny, clever, talented weaver of dreams that they do.”
“Not everyone does.”
“True. Just a moment and I will list the gits who hate you. Hey, guess what? They are all followers of Voldemort and the reason they hate you is because you defeated their master yet again. Why is what they say more important than the words of those who love you? One person says something nasty and all the good things get forgotten. They aren’t important, Harry.”
“But...”
“No buts, love. If you don’t cheer up, I am going to shag you senseless in a few minutes.”
“That seems to be your answer for everything.”
“Well --” Draco slid an arm under the still bent knees and pulled Harry into his arms. “-- it normally works.” He crossed the few spaces to the bed and somehow managed to pull the sheets back without putting his precious bundle down.
Removing the robe and pyjama bottoms, Draco pulled the sheets back over them both. He ran a hand through the thick dark hair, pushing it from the beloved face. “Nothing I say can make it better. Only you can do that. But I am here for as long as you want me. I’m not going anywhere and the only way you’ll ever get rid of me is to send me away yourself.” Very carefully, he touched Harry’s cheek, still wet and sticky from the earlier tears, kissing away the salty liquid.
“I’m s...”
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry. If you do I’ll go and sleep in the spare room.”
Finally Draco was rewarded with a small smile. He kissed it. “Good.”
Harry gasped into the kiss as Draco’s hand closed around him. “Now, what was I saying about how special you were?”
Fin