Harry Potter and The White Queen (BP3)
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
49
Views:
28,203
Reviews:
234
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
49
Views:
28,203
Reviews:
234
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
The White Queen
Chapter Number/Total: 22/49
Chapter Title: The White Queen
Words: 3074 Words
Harry was reading the paper that had come that morning with the news of Luna's father's death. He'd read the article already, but found himself reading it again.
"Harry?"
Harry glanced up. Hermione was looking at him. "What?" he asked.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," she said, getting to her feet from where she was sitting on the couch.
Harry raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Be back in a few," he said to Draco, turning and kissing him on the cheek before getting to his feet as well. He followed Hermione out of the room, thinking she wanted to talk with him about Draco's construct.
"Ron," Draco said, "let's play some chess." It was one of the few things that they still had in common and Draco enjoyed his games with Ron. But today he had asked Hermione to get Harry out of the room so they could talk.
Ron nodded and then grinned. "All right," he said, "but you're not going to beat me."
Once they had the game set up and started, Draco moved a pawn and then looked up. "I have a strategy question for you and a request," he said.
"Sure," said Ron, moving one of his pawns as well. He looked up at Draco.
"In chess, the game is over when the king can't move without being taken. So it would be ludicrous for a player to refuse to sacrifice a pawn or even a knight to lose the king. Correct?" Draco moved a knight.
"Yeah," said Ron slowly. "But I'm not letting you in on my strategy," he said, clearly thinking Draco was talking solely about chess.
"If you thought of the fight against Voldemort as a chess game, it is obvious that the Dark Lord is the black king. Who is the white king? Who can we not win without?" Draco asked.
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Harry," he said, looking at Draco curiously.
"And is there any other piece on the board, or any set of pieces, that would be worth keeping if it meant you still lost the game?" Draco asked him, looking him directly in the eyes.
"No," he said quietly. "None."
"Not even the king's consort, the queen?" the blond asked, still watching Ron.
Ron looked at Draco seriously. "No," he said quietly, but firmly all the same.
Draco nodded, his eyes intent on Ron's. "Our king has only one opponent he has to defeat," Draco said, picking up the black king from the board and holding it up. "Nothing and no one else matters. If he is lost fighting a pawn or even a bishop ...."
"We lose," said Ron. "We all lose. None of the other pieces would matter after that. The game ends."
"Yes, exactly," Draco said. "And we came close to losing our king in a minor skirmish in Hogsmeade."
Ron frowned. "So what are you saying?" he asked.
"When it happens again, and it will, he is the one whose arse you pick up and get the hell out of there," Draco said. "He cannot be allowed to risk himself for anyone else."
"Shit, Draco, he'd fight me," Ron said seriously.
"Yes, I know," Draco said. "Stun him if you have to. And it would have meant letting your sister cover your retreat while the knight got his king out of danger."
Ron opened his mouth but then closed it again. He stared at Draco for a moment and then finally nodded slowly.
Draco nodded. "Thank you," he said, replacing the black king in front of him.
Ron let out a breath slowly and looked back at the board, staring at the white king.
Harry and Hermione came back in then, carrying drinks. Hermione had wanted to talk about the construct, but it hadn't been anything important. She'd only wanted to know how Harry was going to put the wedding ring on the hand.
"Chess?" he asked, setting the drinks on the table for Draco and Ron. "Who's winning?"
"No one yet," said Ron.
***
Harry ran his fingers through his hair for the hundredth time, thinking the styling felt strange. He made a face as he looked at himself in a window he and Draco were passing. They'd just spent an entire bloody hour and a half in the stupid salon getting their hair cut. Harry had never had to wait so long for a haircut in his life.
They were on their way to the Daily Prophet offices now to give their promised interview and were walking along in Muggle London to get there, near Diagon Alley, where they'd gotten their hair cut.
"It feels funny," Harry said, running his fingers through his hair yet again.
Draco shook his head, glad he had told the stylist to pick a cut that didn't take a lot of products and that could handle Harry's habit of messing up his own hair. Not to mention, Draco's penchant for pulling that hair. "But it doesn't look funny," Draco replied calmly. His own new cut was still long enough to be tied back at the neck but trimmed and neat.
Harry shrugged. "It's different from how I usually cut it," he said, thinking it felt a bit shorter around the ears than normal. "You look good though."
Draco smirked. "You always think I look good," he teased, but enjoyed the compliment anyway.
Harry snorted and grinned. "Very true," he said, and then sighed, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets. "So, will this interview be completely awful?" he asked.
Draco took one of Harry's hands out of his pocket and squeezed it. "Stick to the wedding. Don't talk about blood magic. If anyone asks about the binding or my family, let me handle it," he said.
"Good idea," Harry said. "You saw how well that went last time."
"Yes, and I don't want to have to change the subject by shagging you in the newspaper offices this time," Draco teased.
Harry laughed. "Wouldn't that be a wonderful front page picture?" he said, shaking his head.
Draco flushed and shook his head. "Let's avoid that, shall we?" He smirked.
Harry chuckled at Draco's flush, knowing exactly what it meant. "Sure," he said with a smirk of his own.
They reached the door and Draco pulled Harry to him, body pressed to the other man's as he kissed him.
Harry smirked against Draco's lips and copped a quick feel before he pulled away from him. "Ready, love?" he asked.
"Wicked man," Draco hissed, but nodded, his cheeks still pink.
Harry resisted a laugh, his eyes lit up mischievously. He held Draco's hand and walked inside with him.
They entered into the building to find the reporter waiting for them. There was the flash of a camera before they even had time to open their mouths. "Ah, the Happy Couple," the man said, stepping up to them.
Harry raised his eyebrows and blinked a few times after the flash of the camera. He nodded at the man who had spoken.
Draco smiled calmly at the reporter. "Draco Malfoy," he said, holding out his hand.
"Yes, I know. I'm Bob." He shook Draco's hand. "And this is our famous Harry Potter," he said, holding out his hand to Harry.
"That's me," Harry said unenthusiastically, shaking the offered hand.
"Well, I am pleased to meet you ... both," Bob said. "If you follow me, we have a room set up for the interview and photos. There's tea, of course."
Draco reached for Harry's hand as they followed Bob to the room. Staff from their desks were staring at them as they passed.
Harry followed the man to the mentioned room, thinking at least it would be better than the crowd of reporters. He honestly couldn't believe he was doing anything for the Prophet after all that they'd done to him. He wouldn't have done it if his and Draco's privacy wouldn't be in danger without the interview.
He held Draco's hand firmly and ignored the stares of the others.
It was a sitting room, not too different in some ways from the one the Room of Requirement had made for them. Tea service was on the table. "We thought this would make it more cosy," said Bob, "and make the photos look more natural."
Draco nodded, sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to him with a smirk as he looked up at Harry.
Harry smirked a bit as well as he sat close to Draco. He looked back up at the man then, waiting.
Bob seated himself across from them. He introduced the photographer as Jim. Jim would roam around taking photos as they talked and probably have them pose for some.
"And you remember the conditions of this interview?" Draco said. "Especially the one that says if we refuse to answer a topic, it is not to be brought up in the story?"
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy. I have it all here and we will abide by your rules," Bob said. "So, are you two nervous about the upcoming wedding?"
Harry gave a small shrug. "No, not really anyway," he said. "It's just going to be close friends."
Draco smiled calmly. "Not nervous about the marriage part, but it is a lot to arrange."
Bob nodded, seeming to like their answers. "Where will you two go for your honeymoon?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Well, actually, I hadn't thought of that," he said, looking at Draco. He didn't think they would be able to take a honeymoon at all. Not with the threat of Voldemort hanging over their and everyone else's heads.
Draco looked surprised for a moment, having also forgotten that tradition as well. "Well, my family has a place in France," he said, "but we haven't decided yet."
"Well, who are the wedding attendants?" Bob asked.
"Close friends, like I said before," said Harry simply. "The Weasleys, a few friends from Hogwarts, and a few others. Nothing major."
"As Harry has said, we will not be focusing on traditional formal structure for the wedding, but on the strength of friendships in our lives," Draco said.
"Is that because all of your parents are dead?" Bob asked.
Draco sucked in a breath as if he had been punched.
Harry narrowed his eyes. "That's a rather blunt thing to say, don't you think?" he said heatedly. He moved closer to Draco.
Bob shrugged, "No offense meant, but since your parents were killed when you were young and Lucius Malfoy died recently, we were curious as to whether any of your other family members would be attending the ceremony.”
Draco seemed to recover himself. "No, it isn't likely that any of our biological families will be attending. Next subject."
Bob looked liked he wanted to argue, but he abided by their agreement and moved on. "So, how traditional will the vows be?" he asked. "Especially given the ... nature ... of your binding promises on record."
Harry stared, eyes still narrowed slightly. "We haven't even really discussed those yet either," he said. "Those are the things we have left to plan. How the ceremony will go, what we want to say, things like that."
Draco smiled blandly at the reporter. "It depends entirely on which traditions you are referring to, doesn't it?" He smiled more genuinely at Harry, before continuing. "I think I could agree that the tradition of 'loving and caring for each other in good times and in bad, in sickness and health' is already part of our relationship."
Harry smiled and nodded, too. "Very much a part," he said, wanting to lean in and kiss Draco, but refraining from doing so.
Draco smirked and kissed Harry softly, not surprised when the flash went off. He turned his attention back to the reporter.
Bob was grinning now, and then looked down at his notes, apparently distracted by their show. "Yes, erm," he paused, "so, you two were notorious rivals at school. When did that change?"
Draco smirked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Harry. "Has it changed?"
Harry snorted. "In some ways I would say," he said. "We're still competitive, but we ... make up now when we argue." He grinned, knowing he sounded suggestive, but not caring really.
Draco flushed at his answer, not able to keep the image of their last make-up sex from his thoughts. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Yes," he smirked, "I can agree with that."
Bob smiled, too. "So when and how did things change? Were you always ... attracted to each other?"
Harry looked at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I was, maybe, and didn't know it - or wouldn't let myself. Draco was a right git to me in school, but I wasn't too much better, I suppose. He had to make the first move though." Harry smiled.
That seemed to get Bob's attention, "So what did he do?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I kissed him. I considered that he might hex me for it but things went better than I thought."
Harry nodded. "Much better," he said. "Well, not right from that moment, but later on I kissed him back."
"Harry, you said earlier that you are bisexual, who else have you dated?" Bob asked.
"Oh, well, no one really," Harry said turning a bit red. "Just one other girl in school a while ago, but we didn't really date. Didn't work out, obviously."
"What about Hermione Granger?" Bob asked.
Harry snorted. "No. She's very beautiful," he said for Hermione's benefit while she read the interview, "and probably the most wonderful girl I've ever met, but we've never dated, nor will we ever. She's like a sister to me. My best friend."
Draco nodded. "And I dated Pansy Parkinson for a while back at Hogwarts, but that ended early in sixth year."
"Why?" Bob asked, seeming to sense conflict.
Smirking, Draco looked at Harry. "Because I was already in love with someone else."
Harry smiled and felt stupid that Draco's words made him feel warmer, but they did.
Bob nodded. "So you already knew you were attracted to Harry then?"
"Yes," Draco said, not volunteering more, but smiling at Harry.
"When did you first kiss?" Bob asked.
"May first," Draco answered without hesitation, still looking at Harry.
Harry's smile grew, delighted that Draco knew when it had been without having to think about it at all.
Bob actually laughed. "You two do make a cute couple," he said. "Have people been accepting of you? We heard there were some problems back at Hogwarts."
Harry shrugged lightly. "For the most part things have been okay," he said. "My best friend had trouble with it at first, but he's all right with it now and actually, he and Hermione live with us. As far as everyone else ... there's always going to be people who don't accept us, but everyone who matters has. I'm not really concerned about what the entire wizarding public thinks about my love life. If they're happy for me, that's great. If they're not, then, oh well, because my mind is already very much made up."
"Well said, Harry." Draco smiled.
"Wouldn't you, as a pure-blood, have more difficulties marrying a man, and one who isn't pure-blood?" Bob asked.
Draco actually looked contemplative rather than angry at the question. "It does present some difficulties for me, given that I am the last of the Malfoy blood line," he said, "but it is not the first concern for me."
Harry sighed quietly and didn't really know what to say to that. He and Draco hadn't really talked about that all that much.
"So that brings up an important issue for most wizarding families," Bob said. "What about children? Isn't that why most marry?"
Harry swallowed. "Um, well, we've never talked about that before," he said.
Draco nodded. "I have considered it, and I know some people will find it selfish of me, but being with Harry is more important to me. Children would be nice, but if we can't have children, we at least have each other."
Draco wanted children? Harry hadn't known that. He'd never really thought about having them himself, although a family would be very nice. But Draco was right, they had each other no matter what. He nodded and gave Draco a small smile.
"So why did the two of you leave Hogwarts instead of finishing school?" Bob asked.
Harry stared at Bob for a second and then glanced at Draco, wondering if this was something he shouldn't talk about.
Draco cleared his throat. He hadn't put that on the list of topics to avoid, so Bob hadn't overstepped the agreement, but he wasn't sure how to safely answer. He tried to think fast. "While I commend the Board for keeping Hogwarts open, our own personal issues would make it difficult for the school to maintain our safety and that of our fellow students. We have decided to pursue private education at this time."
Harry nodded, glad for Draco's quick thinking.
"So how much danger are the two of you in?" Bob responded immediately.
Draco frowned at him. Since Death Eaters and their leader were on the list of forbidden topics for this interview, Bob was cutting it pretty close on the rules.
"These are dangerous times," Draco replied. "So do you still want those posed shots?" It was a change of topic and a warning.
Bob took the hint, sighing. "Yes, right this way gentlemen."
They spent the next half hour posing both on the couch and standing by a mantle in the room for the photographer. The paper also assured them they would send them a complementary album of the photos.
Finally, they were done and had said their good-byes to Bob and his crew. "Home?" Draco asked Harry.
"Home," Harry said, nodding and smiling at Draco.
They arrived to have their coats taken by one of the elves and Draco breathed a large sigh.
Harry pulled Draco to him, wrapping arms lightly around his waist and kissing him gently. "Wasn't so bad," he said quietly.
"Wait until we read the article and see if they manage to twist things," Draco said with a laugh.
Harry snorted. "Probably will," he said. "They always find some way."
Chapter Title: The White Queen
Words: 3074 Words
Harry was reading the paper that had come that morning with the news of Luna's father's death. He'd read the article already, but found himself reading it again.
"Harry?"
Harry glanced up. Hermione was looking at him. "What?" he asked.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," she said, getting to her feet from where she was sitting on the couch.
Harry raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Be back in a few," he said to Draco, turning and kissing him on the cheek before getting to his feet as well. He followed Hermione out of the room, thinking she wanted to talk with him about Draco's construct.
"Ron," Draco said, "let's play some chess." It was one of the few things that they still had in common and Draco enjoyed his games with Ron. But today he had asked Hermione to get Harry out of the room so they could talk.
Ron nodded and then grinned. "All right," he said, "but you're not going to beat me."
Once they had the game set up and started, Draco moved a pawn and then looked up. "I have a strategy question for you and a request," he said.
"Sure," said Ron, moving one of his pawns as well. He looked up at Draco.
"In chess, the game is over when the king can't move without being taken. So it would be ludicrous for a player to refuse to sacrifice a pawn or even a knight to lose the king. Correct?" Draco moved a knight.
"Yeah," said Ron slowly. "But I'm not letting you in on my strategy," he said, clearly thinking Draco was talking solely about chess.
"If you thought of the fight against Voldemort as a chess game, it is obvious that the Dark Lord is the black king. Who is the white king? Who can we not win without?" Draco asked.
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Harry," he said, looking at Draco curiously.
"And is there any other piece on the board, or any set of pieces, that would be worth keeping if it meant you still lost the game?" Draco asked him, looking him directly in the eyes.
"No," he said quietly. "None."
"Not even the king's consort, the queen?" the blond asked, still watching Ron.
Ron looked at Draco seriously. "No," he said quietly, but firmly all the same.
Draco nodded, his eyes intent on Ron's. "Our king has only one opponent he has to defeat," Draco said, picking up the black king from the board and holding it up. "Nothing and no one else matters. If he is lost fighting a pawn or even a bishop ...."
"We lose," said Ron. "We all lose. None of the other pieces would matter after that. The game ends."
"Yes, exactly," Draco said. "And we came close to losing our king in a minor skirmish in Hogsmeade."
Ron frowned. "So what are you saying?" he asked.
"When it happens again, and it will, he is the one whose arse you pick up and get the hell out of there," Draco said. "He cannot be allowed to risk himself for anyone else."
"Shit, Draco, he'd fight me," Ron said seriously.
"Yes, I know," Draco said. "Stun him if you have to. And it would have meant letting your sister cover your retreat while the knight got his king out of danger."
Ron opened his mouth but then closed it again. He stared at Draco for a moment and then finally nodded slowly.
Draco nodded. "Thank you," he said, replacing the black king in front of him.
Ron let out a breath slowly and looked back at the board, staring at the white king.
Harry and Hermione came back in then, carrying drinks. Hermione had wanted to talk about the construct, but it hadn't been anything important. She'd only wanted to know how Harry was going to put the wedding ring on the hand.
"Chess?" he asked, setting the drinks on the table for Draco and Ron. "Who's winning?"
"No one yet," said Ron.
***
Harry ran his fingers through his hair for the hundredth time, thinking the styling felt strange. He made a face as he looked at himself in a window he and Draco were passing. They'd just spent an entire bloody hour and a half in the stupid salon getting their hair cut. Harry had never had to wait so long for a haircut in his life.
They were on their way to the Daily Prophet offices now to give their promised interview and were walking along in Muggle London to get there, near Diagon Alley, where they'd gotten their hair cut.
"It feels funny," Harry said, running his fingers through his hair yet again.
Draco shook his head, glad he had told the stylist to pick a cut that didn't take a lot of products and that could handle Harry's habit of messing up his own hair. Not to mention, Draco's penchant for pulling that hair. "But it doesn't look funny," Draco replied calmly. His own new cut was still long enough to be tied back at the neck but trimmed and neat.
Harry shrugged. "It's different from how I usually cut it," he said, thinking it felt a bit shorter around the ears than normal. "You look good though."
Draco smirked. "You always think I look good," he teased, but enjoyed the compliment anyway.
Harry snorted and grinned. "Very true," he said, and then sighed, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets. "So, will this interview be completely awful?" he asked.
Draco took one of Harry's hands out of his pocket and squeezed it. "Stick to the wedding. Don't talk about blood magic. If anyone asks about the binding or my family, let me handle it," he said.
"Good idea," Harry said. "You saw how well that went last time."
"Yes, and I don't want to have to change the subject by shagging you in the newspaper offices this time," Draco teased.
Harry laughed. "Wouldn't that be a wonderful front page picture?" he said, shaking his head.
Draco flushed and shook his head. "Let's avoid that, shall we?" He smirked.
Harry chuckled at Draco's flush, knowing exactly what it meant. "Sure," he said with a smirk of his own.
They reached the door and Draco pulled Harry to him, body pressed to the other man's as he kissed him.
Harry smirked against Draco's lips and copped a quick feel before he pulled away from him. "Ready, love?" he asked.
"Wicked man," Draco hissed, but nodded, his cheeks still pink.
Harry resisted a laugh, his eyes lit up mischievously. He held Draco's hand and walked inside with him.
They entered into the building to find the reporter waiting for them. There was the flash of a camera before they even had time to open their mouths. "Ah, the Happy Couple," the man said, stepping up to them.
Harry raised his eyebrows and blinked a few times after the flash of the camera. He nodded at the man who had spoken.
Draco smiled calmly at the reporter. "Draco Malfoy," he said, holding out his hand.
"Yes, I know. I'm Bob." He shook Draco's hand. "And this is our famous Harry Potter," he said, holding out his hand to Harry.
"That's me," Harry said unenthusiastically, shaking the offered hand.
"Well, I am pleased to meet you ... both," Bob said. "If you follow me, we have a room set up for the interview and photos. There's tea, of course."
Draco reached for Harry's hand as they followed Bob to the room. Staff from their desks were staring at them as they passed.
Harry followed the man to the mentioned room, thinking at least it would be better than the crowd of reporters. He honestly couldn't believe he was doing anything for the Prophet after all that they'd done to him. He wouldn't have done it if his and Draco's privacy wouldn't be in danger without the interview.
He held Draco's hand firmly and ignored the stares of the others.
It was a sitting room, not too different in some ways from the one the Room of Requirement had made for them. Tea service was on the table. "We thought this would make it more cosy," said Bob, "and make the photos look more natural."
Draco nodded, sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to him with a smirk as he looked up at Harry.
Harry smirked a bit as well as he sat close to Draco. He looked back up at the man then, waiting.
Bob seated himself across from them. He introduced the photographer as Jim. Jim would roam around taking photos as they talked and probably have them pose for some.
"And you remember the conditions of this interview?" Draco said. "Especially the one that says if we refuse to answer a topic, it is not to be brought up in the story?"
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy. I have it all here and we will abide by your rules," Bob said. "So, are you two nervous about the upcoming wedding?"
Harry gave a small shrug. "No, not really anyway," he said. "It's just going to be close friends."
Draco smiled calmly. "Not nervous about the marriage part, but it is a lot to arrange."
Bob nodded, seeming to like their answers. "Where will you two go for your honeymoon?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Well, actually, I hadn't thought of that," he said, looking at Draco. He didn't think they would be able to take a honeymoon at all. Not with the threat of Voldemort hanging over their and everyone else's heads.
Draco looked surprised for a moment, having also forgotten that tradition as well. "Well, my family has a place in France," he said, "but we haven't decided yet."
"Well, who are the wedding attendants?" Bob asked.
"Close friends, like I said before," said Harry simply. "The Weasleys, a few friends from Hogwarts, and a few others. Nothing major."
"As Harry has said, we will not be focusing on traditional formal structure for the wedding, but on the strength of friendships in our lives," Draco said.
"Is that because all of your parents are dead?" Bob asked.
Draco sucked in a breath as if he had been punched.
Harry narrowed his eyes. "That's a rather blunt thing to say, don't you think?" he said heatedly. He moved closer to Draco.
Bob shrugged, "No offense meant, but since your parents were killed when you were young and Lucius Malfoy died recently, we were curious as to whether any of your other family members would be attending the ceremony.”
Draco seemed to recover himself. "No, it isn't likely that any of our biological families will be attending. Next subject."
Bob looked liked he wanted to argue, but he abided by their agreement and moved on. "So, how traditional will the vows be?" he asked. "Especially given the ... nature ... of your binding promises on record."
Harry stared, eyes still narrowed slightly. "We haven't even really discussed those yet either," he said. "Those are the things we have left to plan. How the ceremony will go, what we want to say, things like that."
Draco smiled blandly at the reporter. "It depends entirely on which traditions you are referring to, doesn't it?" He smiled more genuinely at Harry, before continuing. "I think I could agree that the tradition of 'loving and caring for each other in good times and in bad, in sickness and health' is already part of our relationship."
Harry smiled and nodded, too. "Very much a part," he said, wanting to lean in and kiss Draco, but refraining from doing so.
Draco smirked and kissed Harry softly, not surprised when the flash went off. He turned his attention back to the reporter.
Bob was grinning now, and then looked down at his notes, apparently distracted by their show. "Yes, erm," he paused, "so, you two were notorious rivals at school. When did that change?"
Draco smirked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Harry. "Has it changed?"
Harry snorted. "In some ways I would say," he said. "We're still competitive, but we ... make up now when we argue." He grinned, knowing he sounded suggestive, but not caring really.
Draco flushed at his answer, not able to keep the image of their last make-up sex from his thoughts. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Yes," he smirked, "I can agree with that."
Bob smiled, too. "So when and how did things change? Were you always ... attracted to each other?"
Harry looked at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I was, maybe, and didn't know it - or wouldn't let myself. Draco was a right git to me in school, but I wasn't too much better, I suppose. He had to make the first move though." Harry smiled.
That seemed to get Bob's attention, "So what did he do?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I kissed him. I considered that he might hex me for it but things went better than I thought."
Harry nodded. "Much better," he said. "Well, not right from that moment, but later on I kissed him back."
"Harry, you said earlier that you are bisexual, who else have you dated?" Bob asked.
"Oh, well, no one really," Harry said turning a bit red. "Just one other girl in school a while ago, but we didn't really date. Didn't work out, obviously."
"What about Hermione Granger?" Bob asked.
Harry snorted. "No. She's very beautiful," he said for Hermione's benefit while she read the interview, "and probably the most wonderful girl I've ever met, but we've never dated, nor will we ever. She's like a sister to me. My best friend."
Draco nodded. "And I dated Pansy Parkinson for a while back at Hogwarts, but that ended early in sixth year."
"Why?" Bob asked, seeming to sense conflict.
Smirking, Draco looked at Harry. "Because I was already in love with someone else."
Harry smiled and felt stupid that Draco's words made him feel warmer, but they did.
Bob nodded. "So you already knew you were attracted to Harry then?"
"Yes," Draco said, not volunteering more, but smiling at Harry.
"When did you first kiss?" Bob asked.
"May first," Draco answered without hesitation, still looking at Harry.
Harry's smile grew, delighted that Draco knew when it had been without having to think about it at all.
Bob actually laughed. "You two do make a cute couple," he said. "Have people been accepting of you? We heard there were some problems back at Hogwarts."
Harry shrugged lightly. "For the most part things have been okay," he said. "My best friend had trouble with it at first, but he's all right with it now and actually, he and Hermione live with us. As far as everyone else ... there's always going to be people who don't accept us, but everyone who matters has. I'm not really concerned about what the entire wizarding public thinks about my love life. If they're happy for me, that's great. If they're not, then, oh well, because my mind is already very much made up."
"Well said, Harry." Draco smiled.
"Wouldn't you, as a pure-blood, have more difficulties marrying a man, and one who isn't pure-blood?" Bob asked.
Draco actually looked contemplative rather than angry at the question. "It does present some difficulties for me, given that I am the last of the Malfoy blood line," he said, "but it is not the first concern for me."
Harry sighed quietly and didn't really know what to say to that. He and Draco hadn't really talked about that all that much.
"So that brings up an important issue for most wizarding families," Bob said. "What about children? Isn't that why most marry?"
Harry swallowed. "Um, well, we've never talked about that before," he said.
Draco nodded. "I have considered it, and I know some people will find it selfish of me, but being with Harry is more important to me. Children would be nice, but if we can't have children, we at least have each other."
Draco wanted children? Harry hadn't known that. He'd never really thought about having them himself, although a family would be very nice. But Draco was right, they had each other no matter what. He nodded and gave Draco a small smile.
"So why did the two of you leave Hogwarts instead of finishing school?" Bob asked.
Harry stared at Bob for a second and then glanced at Draco, wondering if this was something he shouldn't talk about.
Draco cleared his throat. He hadn't put that on the list of topics to avoid, so Bob hadn't overstepped the agreement, but he wasn't sure how to safely answer. He tried to think fast. "While I commend the Board for keeping Hogwarts open, our own personal issues would make it difficult for the school to maintain our safety and that of our fellow students. We have decided to pursue private education at this time."
Harry nodded, glad for Draco's quick thinking.
"So how much danger are the two of you in?" Bob responded immediately.
Draco frowned at him. Since Death Eaters and their leader were on the list of forbidden topics for this interview, Bob was cutting it pretty close on the rules.
"These are dangerous times," Draco replied. "So do you still want those posed shots?" It was a change of topic and a warning.
Bob took the hint, sighing. "Yes, right this way gentlemen."
They spent the next half hour posing both on the couch and standing by a mantle in the room for the photographer. The paper also assured them they would send them a complementary album of the photos.
Finally, they were done and had said their good-byes to Bob and his crew. "Home?" Draco asked Harry.
"Home," Harry said, nodding and smiling at Draco.
They arrived to have their coats taken by one of the elves and Draco breathed a large sigh.
Harry pulled Draco to him, wrapping arms lightly around his waist and kissing him gently. "Wasn't so bad," he said quietly.
"Wait until we read the article and see if they manage to twist things," Draco said with a laugh.
Harry snorted. "Probably will," he said. "They always find some way."