la persistencia de la memoria

Chapter 10

A/N: Wooohooooo! Another chapter done! This chapter is a bit slow, but hang in there. You guys have been great! I love all the comments and speculation about what is going to happen next. Believe it or not, I do take suggestions from yall that you put in your reviews, especially if I haven't completely worked out what I want to do.

So thanks for the help! Keep them coming!


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Harry landed gracefully in front of Grimmauld Place, but he felt anything but graceful. His emotions were thundering around inside of him like a herd of centaurs and his head felt like it was going to explode. He felt exhilarated, which shouldn't have been the case at all, but he couldn't stop the feeling. Kissing Draco had made him feel alive. It felt familiar. It felt like…home.

But at the same time, he felt guilty as hell. Ginny had almost walked in on them. How could he hurt her again like that? He had promised that he wouldn't leave her again, not like before. And then he sees Draco with Charlie and something inside of him just…snapped. Watching Charlie wipe Cassi's spittle from his robes angered him. Charlie knew that Draco used to be his boyfriend, so why did he think it was okay to be touching him like that?

Harry could feel the tension coil in his stomach at remembering the casual touching. It was ridiculous! He shook his head to clear it and took a deep breath. He had behaved horribly by stomping out of the dining room like a child, and then arguing with Draco over the other man's personal business and then grabbing him like an out-of-control hormonal teenager and violating him by kissing him. And then fleeing like a coward.

Harry gave a loud groan as he sank down on the top step of Grimmauld. He put his head into his hands. Why did these things keep happening to him? Why couldn't his life be normal?

But it was normal, a voice in his head whispered that sounding suspiciously like Hermione, You had normal with Draco, but you fought against it.

There was a crack of appartion and Harry glanced up to see Ron and Hermione landing on the bottom step. Hermione's face was set and determined, but Ron looked close to apoplexy.

Hermione was opening her mouth to say something but Ron beat her to it. "Harry! What did you do to Ginny?"

Harry stood up as he eyed Ron's clenched fists and aggressive posture. The red-head was coming up the stairs in full bull mode and Harry narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't do anything to her! What happened?"

"Ginny left Mum's crying! She just kept saying " I knew it, I knew it" and then she just left!" He looked pointedly at Hermione. "Hermione said you were outside with Malfoy! What did you do!"

Harry turned a betrayed face to Hermione, who stared back guiltily. "We were talking," Harry said, wincing internally at the huge lie that had just sprouted from his lips. "He's selling the house."

"That wouldn't have made Ginny cry, Harry!" Ron shouted and Harry gaped at him. Ron was practically quivering in rage. "You had to have been doing more than that! I can't believe my brother brought that prick to the house! Can he suck cock that good that you both have lost your minds?!"

Harry felt a slow burn course through him at Ron's words. First, because of the idea that Draco might be sucking Charlie's cock and the second that Ron had insulted the blond in such a manner.

"Don't fucking talk about him like that!" Harry growled, surprised at the vehemence that came along with the words.

Ron stared at him and then shoved him. "Are you shagging him again, Harry? You're jerking Ginny around aren't you?"

Harry stared down where Ron's hand had connected with his chest. He couldn't believe that his best friend had just done that. He raised his head and glared at Ron, who looked ready for a fight.

Harry's lips curled and his fingers tightened into fists. "Don't do that again, Ron. I don't know what's going on with you, but I'm not shagging Draco! And I'm not going to hurt Ginny! So leave off, all right!"

"Harry, you said you were remembering your life with him!" Hermione said loudly, interrupting her husband who was about to shout again. "You need to deal with this now! What are you going to do when all the memories come back? You're going to make everyone miserable!"

Ron's eyes widened and he stepped closer to Harry. "You're starting to remember him? Why didn't you tell me?? Have you told Ginny?"

Harry snarled as Ron crowded into his space. "Back off, Ron! I told you to leave it! It's none of your business! I'll handle it, all right? Just…enough!"

"How are you going to handle it?" Hermione insisted impatiently, as she pulled Ron's arm to drag him away from Harry. "You need to tell Ginny the truth."

Harry closed his eyes and rubbed his temples and said quietly, "Hermione…I said I will handle it. Leave me alone."

"No! You've bollocksed up enough already on your own! Ginny doesn't deserve to be led on, Harry! You did it to her once already and it's time for you to be a man about-"

"Shut up, Hermione! I swear…if you say one more thing-"

"You'll what?" Ron said coldly, as he took another menacing step towards Harry, "finish that statement, Mate."

Harry pursed his lips and shook his head. "Get out of my face, Ron." He pushed past the two of them and bounded back down the steps. He could hear Hermione saying, "Let him go, Ron-" and his friend's indignant sputtering, but Harry didn't look back as he simply tried to picture someplace that gave him comfort and apparated.

He was shocked when he landed in Draco's bedroom.


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"Prove it," Draco said again, as he placed his hand on his cock and began to stroke it.

Charlie licked his lips, stepped forward and ran his hands over the blond's shoulders. He didn't comment on how tense Draco felt, because he already knew the blond really didn't want to do this. Something had happened at the house that had obviously upset him and he was using sex to try and numb the pain. Charlie was no stranger to numbing.

Charlie leaned in to kiss Draco softly on the lips and was surprised when the blond hissed and attempted to kiss him back with bruising strength. Charlie grabbed Draco's jaw and looked him in the eye, trying to calm the storm in the gray orbs. Charlie saw nothing but pain in the other man's eyes and he wished he could take it away for him.

"Draco," he whispered, "do you really want this?" He rubbed his callous fingers against the skin on Draco's jaw line, marveling in the softness of the man's skin. His Alexandru's skin had been roughened from wind and the fire of the dragons…

"Of course, or I wouldn't have suggested it," Draco said, but Charlie heard the slight waver in his voice.

"I'm not Harry," Charlie said, "I can't replace him for you."

Draco's eyes widened and he snapped, "I don't want a replacement for that git! Why are you bringing him up?"

Charlie chuckled, "Git? We used to say that at Hogwarts! Stop playing games, Draco. You still love Harry and I don't blame you for that! It's only natural for that. If you didn't, then I'd have to seriously wonder what the hell you were with him for."

"I can't believe that you are going to turn down sex to talk about Harry." Draco raised his hands in exasperation. "I don't want to talk about Harry!"

"So what do you want to talk about, Draco?" Charlie asked, angry all of sudden. "How well I can fuck you? Is that all you want to talk about?"

Draco stared at him as Charlie marched forwards and pushed Draco down on the couch. The blond bounced like a ragdoll from the impact and he looked at Charlie with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Charlie loomed over him with a menacing glare. "I can fuck you all night long, Draco. You want me to prove that to you?" The red-head dropped quickly to his knees and grabbed the button on Draco's pants, pulling it open. Draco's already exposed penis bounced up as Charlie pulled the fabric of his jeans down.

Without another word, Charlie simply bent over him and sucked Draco's cock into his mouth and the blond let out a hiss. Charlie gave him a hard suck and then pulled away.

"You like it like this, Draco? Just take what I want? No emotions in it or anything?" He dropped his head back down and started sucking him again. Draco groaned and squirmed on the couch, trying to push Charlie away.

But Charlie gripped his hips and jerked Draco forward a bit roughly and swallowed him down to the soft blond mass of curls.

"Fuck!" Draco cried out as he squirmed some more. Despite the fact that Charlie's mouth felt fantastic, Draco didn't like how this was going. He reached out to push Charlie away again, although it was a bit weak from his first attempt.

Charlie gave him a particularly long suck and then pulled away again with a loud smack. "Don't you like it? I'm proving it to you! I'll make you forget all about Harry!"

"Stop…"Draco gasped out as Charlie leaned over and licked his swollen cock head. "Fuck it, Weasley!"

"I'm only doing what you wanted, right? You don't want to feel anything, you don't want to remember anything about him! You want to forget just like he has, don't you? Forget that you ever had a life with the man that you love! A life that you could still have!"

Charlie was shouting by the end and Draco's mouth had fallen open in shock. Obviously Charlie had some issues going on that Draco had yet to uncover. Charlie jumped up abruptly and turned away from the blond. Only to gasp a second later.

"Harry?"


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Harry was standing motionless by the wall in the family room, staring at Charlie and Draco. His eyes were fixed on Draco's still erect cock, clearly visible from his vantage point. Draco gaped at Harry from where he sat, but Harry was completely oblivious to the blond's shock. The only thing that Harry could concentrate on was the smooth perfection of the other man's organ, slick and pulsing with energy. Harry's mouth watered and that was enough to rip him from his hypnotic trance inspired by Draco's penis. He tore his eyes away, his face flaming almost as red as Ron's hair and looked at Charlie.

Charlie's eyes had dropped to the front of Harry's jeans, which were doing nothing to conceal a suspicious albeit familiar looking bulge. Charlie almost laughed, but the look of horror on Harry's face quelled the desire to poke fun at the young man's mortification.

"Harry?" Charlie said again, "Look…I don't know what you saw-"

Harry started as if he had been jabbed in the arse with a wand and he blinked. "I saw your mouth all over his cock!"

"Okay, then…yes…you saw exactly what was going on…but…it's not what you think."

Harry snorted with derision and said, "Oh, that's rich, Charlie! You think I'm stupid or something? You lied to me, you prick! I trusted you!"

"You don't have any say so in my life!" Draco said angrily as he leapt from the couch, all too aware that his cock was standing at complete attention and pointing right at Harry. He fumbled with it to shove it back into his pants, but it wasn't cooperating and Draco huffed in annoyance. After a particularly painful shove to the side, he managed to zip up his pants and resume his tirade.

"What are you doing here?"

Harry's attention had centered on Draco's groin again, but he managed to snap out of his reverie in time to step back from him as he had now stomped over to him in righteous indignation. Harry glared at the blond, trying hard to pretend that the man's hardness wasn't distracting him.

"You told me to come and get my things!" He shouted, suddenly angry enough to hex the blond. Who told him to have such a nice cock and display it to everyone? As a matter of fact, who told him it was okay for Charlie's mouth to be wrapped around it? Oh…yup…anger is coming…now.

But Draco was shouting now. "I didn't mean in the middle of the night! And you ran away like a cowardly git!"

Harry's hackles rose and he clenched his fists, the "coward" comment reminding him of Professor Snape's furious denunciation of the same moniker. "I'm not a coward! I was confused! And I guess it didn't mean anything to you anyway, seeing as how you're already fucking someone else!"

"I didn't fuck him!"

"You were about to!"

"No, I wasn't! I-" Draco stopped and looked at Charlie for reassurance. "I wasn't."

Harry waved his hand dismissively as Charlie cleared his throat. "Harry, I don't think that he was going to go through with it."

Harry stared at Charlie incredulously. "He was letting you suck him off! Do you really think that it would have stopped there? That's the fastest way to get him to spread his legs! Trust me, I've done it enough times!"

It was out of his mouth before he thought about what he had said or the implications that he even knew that information. He frowned slightly and then shut his mouth. Charlie was looking thoughtful, but Draco was incensed.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" He yelled, as he started towards Harry, while he snatched his wand from the coffee table, "You're remembering our relationship, but you're still pretending not to remember us!" He pointed the wand at Harry, who instinctively reached for his wand and immediately cast a Shield Charm.

Charlie grabbed Draco's arm and pushed it away. The hex that came streaming out shot harmlessly into the wall nearest the kitchen. Draco snarled angrily at Charlie, who simply stepped in front of the blond. Draco tried to push past him to get at Harry, but Charlie calmly continued to bar his way by holding his shoulders.

"Let me go! That fucker! He's been hiding that he has his memory back! And he's still with that bitch!"

Charlie growled and tightened his grip on Draco. "Whoa, now! That's my sister you're talking about! Calm down, Draco! Just relax!"

Draco struggled against Charlie for several more moments, but the red-head was like a solid mass of ginger muscle. His muscles were straining against the shirt he wore, almost tearing the material down the seams. Harry dropped the shield and said,

"I don't have my memory back! Not completely, anyway. I just get images! I didn't tell you because…I don't know what all of it means!"

"It means you should have come back!" Draco shouted again, renewing his struggle against Charlie. "It means that you should have come home!"

"You didn't want me in your life," Harry said as he gestured towards Charlie, who was now pushing Draco backward. "And you've moved on, so what was the point of even telling you any of this. I hadn't even really told Ron and Hermione." He flushed then and ran a hand through his hair. "I haven't even told Ginny."

Draco seemed to slump against Charlie and the older man glanced down at him warily. Draco was breathing hard and his hair was completely mussed. He yanked away from Charlie and the red-head let him go. Draco backed away from the pair and scowled at Harry.

"We've been together almost our whole lives, Harry! And you think it would take just three months for me to move on!"

Harry huffed irritably. "That's what you told me, Draco! What did you expect me to say or do? I tried to be your friend, but that wasn't good enough! I don't know you as my lover! I don't know you as my friend either! How do you expect me to understand you and I don't know you!!" Harry pushed past Charlie, who immediately put his hands out to stop the man, but Harry held up his hands to indicate it was all right.

He grabbed Draco by the shoulders like Charlie had done and whispered, "I don't know you." He leaned his forehead against Draco's. "But I don't know myself either. My dreams are now full of you…us. And I don't know what to do with that."

Draco stared at him and Harry closed his eyes. He stepped back from the blond but Draco reached out and tugged Harry's shirt.

"Just come home and we'll figure it out," he said, not even bothering to try and hide the desperate hope in his voice. Harry usually responded well to raw emotion and need, especially when he was confused about something. He was vaguely aware that Charlie was still in the room, but his heart couldn't be so bothered with that thought at that moment. Harry was so close…so close…to finally listening to him. He knew he should be furious with the brunette, but his heart wouldn't let him.

Harry swallowed hard and shook his head slowly. "I can't. I promised…"

Draco snatched his hand away from Harry's shirt as if it had burned him. He narrowed his eyes and Harry moved away from him with reluctance. He then turned to Charlie and said,

"I'm sorry I interrupted your evening. I-I had no right. I found myself upstairs after I simply apparated to someplace that was familiar to me. My mind must have picked this place as home. I saw Cassi and then I heard raised voices. The auror in me kicked in. I came down to see what was going on and well…"He waved his hand towards the couch. "I shouldn't have watched."

He ducked his head, trying to cover the blush that had returned full force. "I'm sorry."

He turned towards Draco, but didn't look at him fully. "I'll get my things at another time. Let me know when it's a good time." He walked back towards the hallway and then apparated, not looking back at either man.

Silence filled the house after the crack of apparation had faded. Charlie pursed his lips and then looked at Draco, who was standing as though under Petrificus spell. Charlie sighed and called out, "Are you all right?"

Draco looked up sharply and then nodded curtly. "Yes, of course. Bloody fine." But his eyes were gleaming with almost a manic frenzy and Charlie again understood that Draco was far from fine. The roller coaster of emotional turmoil for the blond must have been exhausting.

Charlie gave a deep sigh and said, "Draco, I think that you need to think about some things a bit more. You're angry about something and this is not the way to handle it."

"You sound like that bloody therapist! I thought you understood what it's like!"

Charlie puffed up and his eyes grew narrow. "You don't think I understand? You don't think I know what it's like to lose something that you love?"

Draco's eyes dropped to Charlie's missing leg and the older man gave an angry snort of laughter. "You think this is about my leg?" He jerked up his pant leg and showed the gleaming, shiny metal in place of the flesh and bone. "This is just flesh! I'll get this back one day! There are some things that you can never fix! But there are some things that you can…" His voice trailed off and he looked exhausted. "What I wouldn't give…"

Charlie winced as he dropped his pant leg back down. He stared towards the fireplace and gave another sigh.

"Some things you can't fix." He said again, but the man was lost in his thoughts. Draco watched him with concern. Whatever Charlie's demons were, it had robbed the fun-loving carefree man of his energy.

Charlie turned towards him with a steely look. He nodded once and then stood up. "Come on. I want to show you something."

"I'll have Tippy take Cassiopeia to the Manor then." Draco responded and called for the elf.

Charlie gave a nod and reached for a handful of floo powder. After the blond had spoke the elf and it vanished, he grabbed Draco's arm and shoved him into the hearth and shouted, "Danube Inn!"

The fireplace roared green and the blond vanished in a flash of light. Charlie closed his eyes and reached for another pile of ash.

"Forgive me." He whispered and then stepped into the hearth to follow them.


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Draco stumbled out of the hearth and almost fell over a rather large dog that had draped itself in front of the fireplace. It gave a yelp and skittered away, its raggedy tail between its legs. Draco managed to right himself just before he would have crashed headfirst into an ancient table that was littered with ale mugs. The table's occupant was lying face down in a plate of something that looked like something Draco would scrap off his shoe and he grimaced.

He didn't have time to really take in his surroundings before the fireplace flared again and Charlie stepped out behind him, brushing soot. He gazed around the place for a moment and then his eyes landed on Draco, who then decided to puff up at the abrupt removal from his living room.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Draco demanded. "That mutt over there could've chewed my leg off or something!"

Charlie glanced at the mangy animal and bit back a laugh. "That old girl doesn't even have teeth in her mouth. I'm surprised she's still living."

Draco crossed his arms and was prepared to retort nastily when Charlie held up his hand. "I brought you here to Romania to show you something, Draco. This is just one of the lesser used pubs, especially at this hour."

Charlie began to weave through the pub's tables and Draco hurried after him, carefully trying to avoid the rubbish and drunk patrons who were all over the floor. A gruffy looking barman eyed them and then nodded at Charlie, who nodded back. Charlie led them to the front door and they exited out onto the Romanian street.

It was dark out and a bit chilly, but Draco pulled his wand and cast a Warming Charm. Charlie looked up and down the street for a moment, before he headed up the street. Most of the buildings were dark, but a few other pubs still had windows that were lit up. A drunken men was walking towards them , singing a song in a language that Draco had never heard before. When he reached them, he stopped and pointed at Charlie.

"Veasley! What is you doing back? How is leg?" He asked in a loud voice and Draco winced as it seemed to echo down the street.

Charlie patted the man on the shoulder. "It's fine, Nicholas. I'm not back yet, but I needed to pick up something."

Nicholas nodded and then looked at Draco, who glared back. "You's always with the pretty ones, eh? Vhat else vould you need to pick up with this one on your arm?"

Draco flushed angrily, but Charlie simply pushed the man away. "Go on! It's not what you are thinking. He's just a friend!" He lowered his voice and looked around. "Don't tell anyone you saw me, all right? I'm not ready to come back yet."

Nicholas looked at Charlie and then he looked at Draco and he frowned. "Charlie…you knows I don't care about that. You's has been good friend and worker for a long time. I not get into your business."

Charlie frowned also, but then he nodded. Nicholas had obviously misunderstood Draco's presence, but Charlie didn't feel like trying to explain all of this to him.

"Thank you," he said simply and patted his shoulder again. Nicholas gave a low bow and then proceeded down the street. Charlie watched him go for a minute then continued on his way. Draco trailed behind him and muttered,

"Care to tell me what all the cloak and dagger is about, Weasley? Why don't you want anyone to see you? Or better yet…see you with me??"

Charlie stopped walking and turned around to face Draco. "In addition to losing my leg, I was also suspended from the program, all right? I would just rather not be seen around right now."

Draco knew how unattractive he looked when his mouth fell open, but it happened anyway without his consent. "Suspended? You? Aren't you like the dragon god or something?"

Charlie shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. "Not anymore."

Draco stepped forward and reached out a hand to touch the larger man. "What happened, Charlie. Really?"

Charlie looked into Draco's eyes and took a breath. He then turned and continued down the street without another word. Draco hurried to keep up with him again. They walked in silence for several blocks until they came to a small red brick building with a beautiful garden surrounded by a low wall. The moonlight was illuminating the large patio where several tables and chairs were situated. Charlie stopped when they reached the wall and Draco looked at the building curiously.

"What is this place?" Draco asked when Charlie stood staring at the patio without speaking.

Before Charlie could respond, a door that led to the patio opened and a man in magical wheelchair drifted out slowly. The chair floated a few inches above the ground and the man seemed to control it with a small knob on the armrests. The chair floated towards one of the small gardens and the man pulled out a pair of gardening shears from a small pouch that was sitting on his lap.

Draco briefly wondered how the man was going to reach the low lying flowers from his chair, but what he really wanted to know was why there were here. He turned to Charlie again, impatient and irritable, but the words died in their formation. Charlie's face was ghostly white and he looked to be struggling not to scream, if the way he was practically gnawing his fist was any indication. His eyes were fixed on the man in the chair with such an intensity that Draco was surprised he didn't feel the searing heat of it. Draco immediately sympathized with the emotional state that Charlie was in.

"Is that…him?" Draco asked quietly.

Charlie swallowed hard and looked at Draco with tired eyes. "Yes. That's Alex." He lowered his head and Draco felt the strangest urge to pat him on the head.

"What happened?"

Charlie took a deep breath and then said, "We'd been together forever. I thought it would always be that way. But then things changed. He wanted to leave Romania…wanted to go teach at some university. Hogwarts, he said." Charlie gave a low laugh. "Said he wanted to see my homeland, since I'd spent so much time in his. But I didn't want to go. I loved working with the dragons. I couldn't just leave them."

Draco nodded. He knew all too well about that type of argument. He had them enough with Harry and the auror thing. The work was dangerous and unpredictable and there were many nights that Draco lay in bed with wide eyes and a pounding heart, fearful that Harry would never come home again. Harry had said almost the same thing. That he couldn't let dark wizards escape unpunished, that there could never be another Dark Lord.

"We started arguing about it more and more. I started drinking and Alex stopped coming home because I was acting like a bloody idiot. I thought he was cheating on me, so I started doing the same thing. But I started fooling around with a young married bloke who had just started the program. He was confused and I took advantage of that. He ended up leaving his wife and young son for me and all I was doing was using him!" Charlie pounded his fist against the wall in frustration.

"That wasn't your fault, Charlie. He was a grown man and he made his choice," Draco said, hoping that those words would comfort Charlie somehow. The man looked completely broken.

"It was my fault! I used him because I was angry at Alex for leaving me. Then I heard he had been seen with Evan, this bloke who was always trying to get his attention." Charlie sneered at the man's name and Draco really understood why men like Harry and Charlie get sorted into Gryffindor. The lions are fierce creatures.

"I confronted Alex about it and he was furious. I told him he'd better stop seeing Evan or I'd do something about it. Alex accused me of being a hypocrite, because I was destroying Sean's marriage and his life by playing games with him. He threatened to tell Sean the truth if I didn't. But it turned out I didn't have to. Sean had heard the whole argument and was bloody pissed. He started a fight with me right in the middle of pub. Everyone heard the whole thing."

Draco cringed at that. Again, he knew how invasive people could be. Every detail of his life with Harry had been chronicled in just about every wizarding paper and magazine, from what positions they supposedly enjoyed to how many times Draco had to swallow when sucking Harry off.

"I felt horrible about what I'd done. I tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn't listen to me. He started missing work and drinking. Sean was a good bloke. He didn't deserve what I did to him. Alex went to him and tried to help him too, but he hated Alex because he knew that I still wanted him. He started messing up at work, but I didn't write him up, even though I was supposed to. I felt guilty about what I'd done!"

Charlie looked at Draco then and Draco saw the pain there.

"Sean had been making accusations against me, like I had taken advantage of him and had intimidated him into having sex with me. Alex didn't like what he was doing, even though he was still furious with me about all I had done. Alex confronted him outside the Fireball's pen, but because Sean had been drinking that day, he hadn't secured it properly. With all of their yelling, it agitated the dragon. She got loose…and…" Charlie gave a small sob.

"She killed Sean instantly. We were only able to recover parts of him. It tore my leg right off. And Alex…" Charlie nodded towards the man in the chair. "Alex will never walk again. She crushed his spine and broke most of the bones in his body."

Draco's face was a white as his hair. Charlie was staring at him with wide eyes.

"So it is my fault, Draco. I got that boy killed because of my stupidity! And my Alex…my precious Alex…" He faltered for a moment, but then plowed on. "He'll never forgive me. I ruined his life! He just wanted to go and teach children about the wonders of magical animals! And I took that from him! Because I was selfish! And now a boy had lost his dad because of me! And they killed the dragon, because she had tasted human flesh. That beautiful creature! All that because I didn't want Alex to leave me…and now I've lost him forever anyway!"

Charlie let out another choked sob and he curled into himself. Draco's heart went out to the man and he knelt down next to Charlie and put his hand on his back. He didn't know what to say in the face of all those facts. If that had happened to Harry…

"Have you talked to him since this all happened?" Draco asked as gently as he could.

"No," Charlie whispered, "I found out that I'm part coward instead of all Gryffindor. They had to put him in a coma to try and repair as much of him as they could. I sat with him for days on end, but when they woke him up…I…I couldn't face him."

"He thinks you just left him? You didn't even try to talk to him?" Draco asked, incredulous. Even with all of the mess that happened with Harry's memories, Draco had at least tried to reason with his partner.

Charlie lifted his head. "I couldn't face him, Draco! He…he already hated me for using Sean like I had and for cheating on him and everything…"

Draco didn't try to argue with Charlie about that. He knew he would be furious if Harry had rendered him a quadriplegic because of his affair with a married boy. There would be no doubt that it would take a whole hell of lot of effort on his part to forgive Harry such a transgression.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to show you what pain is, Draco."

Draco curled his lip. "You chose not to talk to him, Charlie! That's not the same thing, at all! Harry doesn't remember me; our relationship! Alex remembers you!"

"He remembers what I did! What I wouldn't give for him not to! You have the chance to do it all over again, Draco! Make everything right, fix whatever you bollocksed up from before! You can start over, I can't!"

Draco stood up and stared down at Charlie. "Well, you certainly can't by hiding behind a wall in the middle of this bloody street in the middle of the night!"

"For fuck's sake, be quiet!"

Draco turned his head and looked towards the gardens. Alex was holding one of the blossoms to his nose, smelling its sweetness. He then put the flower in his lap and looked up at the sky, watching the moon lowering from its zenith. The door opened again and another man walked out, holding something in his hand.

Draco could just make out their conversation.

"Alex, there you are. I should have known you'd be out here."

The dark haired man turned towards the other and gave him a small smile. "Yes, this is ze best time to pick them." Alex spoke with a heavy accent, but it wasn't unpleasant. The other man smiled at him.

"Are you ready to try again?"

Alex nodded and the man handed him the foreign object that had been in his hand. Draco watched as Alex tapped the object and it expanded, forming a walker. He handed the bloom to the helper and then placed his hands on the edges of the walker. With a tremendous effort, Alex struggled into a standing position as sweat poured off of him.

"Look!" Draco hissed to Charlie. "He's standing up!"

Charlie looked up in shock and then uncurled and stood up. He stared in amazement as Alex tottered dangerously while gripping the walker tightly. He pushed it forward barely an inch, but he managed to scoot one foot forward. He stopped panting heavily and then drug his other foot forward. He tottered again and the other man immediately reached for his elbow, helping to steady him.

Alex gasped out, "One more step, Evan. One more."

Draco raised an eyebrow. So Alex's handyman was Evan. He sneaked a peek at Charlie, who was watching the scene unfold with the delight of a child seeing Hogwarts for the first time. Draco saw the tear on Charlie's cheek glisten as it rolled down his face. He was leaning forward and he was breathing heavily. Draco knew that Charlie desperately wanted to go to him, but fear was keeping him rooted to his spot.

"He…walked." Charlie breathed out. "He can walk! The healers said he wouldn't walk ever again! He's walking!"

In spite of the serious nature of Charlie's situation, Draco couldn't help but to smile. Charlie was a man transformed. Despite the darkness, his eyes were lit up like a child on Christmas morning. And indeed, Draco couldn't even begin to comprehend the joy that had overtaken the man.

But then Charlie put his hands on top of the wall and lowered his head.

"That's Evan," he said quietly, "he's been…there for Alex since this whole mess started." Charlie's gripped the brick tightly. "And I'm sure he's reaping the benefits of his care-giving."

Draco watched silently as Evan gently helped Alex back into a sitting position. The tenderness in which he did his task spoke volumes to Draco and to Charlie as well. Alex smiled up at him appreciatively and Evan placed the blossom back on his lap. Alex picked up the bloom and sniffed it again. He looked out into the distance again and for a brief second, seemed to make eye contact with Draco. But if Alex saw them he didn't let on because he slowly turned the chair around to follow Evan back into the structure.

Charlie sank down to his knees behind the wall and cried.

Draco let him.


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Two days later

"Good afternoon, Mister Potter," Narcissa said softly as she descended the stair case. Cassi's bassinette floated behind her gently, in preparation for Harry's arrival to pick her up.

"Good afternoon," Harry said as he nodded at her. Narcissa wore beautiful green robes that would have done wonders with Harry's eyes had he wore them. Draco had bought Harry a number of green items during their relationship. Narcissa always thought he looked wonderful in the color.

Today however, Harry looked dreadful in a drab blue Muggle shirt and jeans. And it wasn't because the clothes were Muggle, even though Narcissa detested the now chic practice of wearing them, but because Harry himself looked like he hadn't seen an ounce of sleep. She paused appropriately, until the baby drifted beside and then she addressed him again.

"Are you feeling all right? You look a bit peaked."

"I'm fine."

Narcissa tilted her head a fraction of a centimeter and said, "No, I don't think so. Join me for some tea." It was not a request.

Harry blinked at her as she started off towards the sun parlor and Cassi floated behind her. She didn't even turn to see if he had followed her and before he could open his mouth to retort in the negative, she had already disappeared into the room.

Grumbling softly, he trailed after her and stood in the doorway.

"I really can't stay. I'm…I have an appointment."

Narcissa was just sitting down as a house-elf appeared next to her. She simply stared at Harry and then casually pointed at the seat across from her. "I'm sure Miss Weasley won't mind waiting for a few moments."

Harry visibly flinched as Narcissa's gaze bore into him and he went and sat down across from her. Now that he was closer to her, Narcissa could see the bags under his eyes and his weariness.

"Please have one of the strawberry scones. They're one of your favorites."

Harry looked down at the unfamiliar pastry. "It is?"

"Yes, you had them here often, once Draco introduced you to a different type of cuisine."

Harry reached out to take one of the delectable items. He bit into hesitantly and then closed his eyes as the delicious strawberry taste filled his mouth. He opened his eyes to Narcissa's smug smile.

"Why did you ask me in here?" Harry asked as he fought the urge to grab a second scone. "I know it's not to critique your food."

"I wish to know what type of environment you will have my granddaughter in."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked sharply, bristling at her inference that Cassi was not in a proper environment. "Are you saying that I'm not taking proper care of her?"

Narcissa took a sip of her tea before she answered. "If I was going to say that, I would have said so, long before now, Mister Potter. What I mean is…when are you going to get a proper place for her. I take it you are still at Grimmauld Place, living with your…friends?"

"Well yes, I am at the moment. I haven't found a place yet. But I will, so you don't need to concern yourself with that."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow and said, "I beg to differ. Cassiopeia is my flesh and blood. She is a Malfoy, therefore I will concern myself with her wellbeing."

"She's also a Potter. And I certainly wouldn't let anything happen to her. I will find a proper place to stay very soon. As a matter of fact, Draco just told me he's selling the house, but he said I could take it if I wanted."

"How generous of him. I am sure it would be quite wearisome for him to stay there. All those unpleasant memories. Perhaps he will return to his rightful home here. Where he belongs."

Harry narrowed his eyes at her. "Where he belongs?"

Narcissa looked at him with amusement. "Of course. He never should have left the family home until he was properly married. I'm sure even your Weasley family honors the pureblood ways."

Harry felt a coil of anger burning in his gut. "Properly married? You mean to some witch or someone he didn't care about? Or do you mean me?"

"It is no secret that I did not approve of your match. I am actually pleased that things have turned out the way they have. Now Draco can focus on finding a proper wife." She sipped her tea, never breaking eye contact with Harry.

Harry's lips tightened in what could only be fury and Narcissa almost laughed out loud. Harry was still so easy to manipulate.

"Draco's gay! He doesn't want to marry a witch! And now you have your precious heir, so why can't you leave him alone?"

"As much as I love my granddaughter, she is not a boy. We need a male heir, Mister Potter. And I'm certain that Draco will not want to repeat this miracle again. Therefore, he will need a wife. And as you are no doubt going to marry Miss Weasley, Draco is now free to move about in the proper company, now that this dalliance is over."

"Dalliance?? We were in a relationship for five years! We had a home together and had a baby! That's not a dalliance! It was real. And it was forever! Even if we weren't properly bonded, we were still soul mates!"

Harry belatedly realized that he had stood up sometime during his rant. A house-elf had appeared and glanced anxiously at both of them.

"Bitty is wondering is everything being all right?"

Narcissa raised a calm hand at the elf. She looked at Harry's flushed face and his quivering nostrils, looking so much like Lucius' grandfather's prized flying stallion.

"Of course, Bitty. Mister Potter was just leaving," She said calmly as she inclined her head towards him. "On his way to spend time with his fiancée, which is quite proper. I am sure she is anxious for his swift return."

Harry felt like a right idiot for acting like he had, but her statements about his relationship being only a dalliance really ticked him off. They had worked hard for their relationship, endured all kinds of external scrutiny from the press and the wizarding community and even their friends, in order to be together. It was not just a fling they had!

"Thank you for the tea," Harry said politely, trying to reign in his temper.

"Give Miss Weasley my best regards," Narcissa said, equally polite.

Harry stiffened, but didn't say a word as he reached for Cassi and her baby bag, which had been inside the bassinette. He still didn't say anything as he walked out of the parlor, followed by the anxious Bitty.

As Harry walked past another small sitting room, he noticed a small picture frame on the far table in the corner. It was illuminated by the sun, which was casting its rays down across the thick carpet.

It was a picture of Draco.

Harry stopped and then walked back to the open door to stare. It wasn't that he was surprised to see a picture of Draco in his own family's home, but it was the background in the picture that had captured his attention. Harry stepped into the room and walked over to the frame and picked it up.

Draco was dressed in dark robes, looking rather somber. His hair was blowing in the wind and Harry could see that something was in his hand.

It was a lily.

Draco was standing in a cemetery. His parent's markers were behind him and Draco was turning to place the lily on top of his mother's grave stone.

Harry ran his fingers over the smooth glass of the frame. He did not know that Draco went to his parent's graves. He had yet to have a memory of that, which meant that either Draco did it without his knowledge or it just hadn't come up yet. Harry's breath hitched and he brought the frame to his chest and held it there.

"Is Harry Potter being all right?"

Harry started at Bitty's inquiry and he hastily put the picture back on the table.

"Yes, I'm fine." He turned away from the table, horrified to feel the slight burning under his eyelids. He hurried out of the room, collected Cassi and apparated away.

Narcissa smiled unseen from the hallway.


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Harry stood outside on the sidewalk at his destination, trying to pull himself together. Harry still hadn't talked to Ginny since the disaster at the Burrow. He'd avoided Ron and Hermione as well, which wasn't all the easy since they lived in the same house. Ginny was going to give him hell for everything that had happened, but Harry really wasn't in the mood to care. Narcissa's words and the picture had rocked him to the core and he wasn't in the mood for an argument with her today.

So he pulled on his Gryffindor courage, walked up to the front door and knocked.

He had to wait a few minutes and then the door swung open impatiently.

Harry started talking immediately. "I know you're mad at me, but before you say anything, just hear my request. Come spend the day with me and our daughter."

Draco blinked slowly and pursed his lips. "All right, Harry. Let me get my cloak."