Gilded Soul
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
42
Views:
8,329
Reviews:
45
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
42
Views:
8,329
Reviews:
45
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.
Self Sacrifice
Chapter 26 Self Sacrifice
Draco left Snape’s quarters feeling heavy and somber. He wanted Harry with every fiber of his being, but even more than he wanted him, he wanted him to be safe. If they could only live through the ordeal with Voldemort, a part of Draco knew that he and Harry would be together. But the question that plagued him now, was how far could he push Harry away, so that he could one day make it up to him, and that they would still be together.
He had already made up his mind to heed Snape’s advice and remove himself from Harry’s circle of friends. It was the most difficult decision he had ever made, but it was for Harry’s own benefit. He decided at once that he found self-sacrifice to be distasteful. He quite enjoyed getting his way all the time, and he knew there would only be one way to complete the task at hand, and that was to make Harry hate him.
He knew it would only be temporary but the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach, at the idea of Harry hating him for any amount of time, made him want to wretch. He could live… would have to live with it though, because it was more important to keep Harry safe, and as long as he was the pale dragon, and Harry his lion, the Gryffindor was not safe.
--
Harry was eager to get back to the Room of Requirement and tell Draco of the new development in his magic. It had been a brilliant lesson, in fact the best since his outburst several weeks previous. Dumbledore had seemed on edge ever since then, the sparkle gone from his blue eyes. Harry knew it had been his fault, and that he would have to work harder to earn the older mans trust again.
Earlier that night he discovered his ability to control the magic within him, and do as Dumbledore had done weeks ago and focus it on a given target, instead of letting it leak out of him like a sieve, infecting the environment all around him.
He had a sinking feeling as he made his way to the Room of Requirement, and as soon as he opened the door, he realized why.
Draco wasn’t there.
Harry sat in the armchair by the fireplace. There hadn’t been a fire lit there since that morning. A flick of his fingers and a warm blaze burst into existence in space where only ashes were before. He didn’t know how long he had waited for Draco to arrive, but Harry dozed in the chair, and was woken up when the fire began to dim.
He stretched, looking around, and still didn’t spot the Slytherin in their room, so he climbed ruefully into bed alone. He quickly ran through the events of the day while he tried to fall back to sleep, when the date popped unwillingly into his head. He rolled over to face the place where Draco usually slept and wondered if the Slytherin was upset with him. He ran his palm over the space that usually held his lover and sighed. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow," he whispered to the dark. "Happy Valentines day, Draco."
--
Harry didn’t dream of mazes that night, because Draco was purposefully staying awake. He wasn’t ready for a confrontation just yet, and he knew it would be better to have that in person rather than in the maze, where they often fought for their lives.
He was in his own dorm once again and it felt foreign. His housemates had been curious to see him there, since it hadn’t happened since prior to the Holiday. Draco rarely needed to visit the Slytherin common room because he had everything he needed in the Room of Requirement. Harry, his Gryffindor, was all that he needed. He chastised himself for the thought. Those were not the type of thoughts that would keep his resolve up, or would keep Harry safe.
He sat perched in a large armchair in the, now empty, common room struggling to think about all the things he loathed about Harry, and was angry to admit that the list was much shorter; practically non-existent, compared to just this time last year. He sighed as he thought about Harry’s hero complex. “Always saving people. Bloody Gryffindor,” he whispered to himself. Then he recalled being on the receiving end of that issue several times before, so it was difficult to fault him for it.
“His hair,” Draco whispered triumphantly. “It’s always so messy and unkempt…but so soft, and the way he leans into my hand when I run my fingers through it…” Draco cursed aloud. “This isn’t working,” he muttered after having blown through a list of everything from his infuriatingly beautiful eyes to his poor but improving talents in potions class.
He reluctantly gave up and settled down to read his transfiguration textbook. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day, and he needed his energy, but maybe by denying himself sleep he would not only keep the dreams away, but also keep himself in a foul enough mood that he would be able to stay nasty to Harry. No, not Harry. Potter.
--
Harry got lethargically up from bed as the events, or lack thereof, from the previous even crashed into the forefront of his mind. Draco had never come to their room. A brief glimpse of panic ensued as he wondered if the Slytherin was okay, or if maybe Snape had finally had enough and made Draco stay in his dorm. It wasn’t until he made his way groggily into the bathroom, that he noticed all of Draco’s things were missing. The intentions of this were quite plain; Draco wasn’t coming back. Harry couldn’t breath for a moment, but then finally regained his composure and finished getting ready.
As he slowly made his way down to the Great Hall, his eyes peeled for Draco the entire way, he stopped suddenly when he saw him. He nearly collapsed.
Walking several paces ahead of him was his pale dragon, only not his anymore it seemed. His pale arm was linked haphazardly through Pansy Parkinson’s as he leaned into her, whispering things that would cause her to giggle like mad.
Harry stopped so suddenly that a couple of second years, trailing too closely, smashed into him with a force enough to topple the two younger students and to shake Harry where he stood. After a few moments he found his voice and went storming up to the blonde, jerking him viciously by his fee arm, making Pansy lose he balance and wobble in place. “What’s the meaning of this?” Harry shouted, loud enough that anyone not already in the all could hear.
Draco sneered. “Oh, don’t go getting all possessive on me now, Potter.”
Harry paled. “What?”
Draco rolled his eyes. “Look, I thought you understood, this wasn’t an exclusive thing,” he drawled, gesturing between the two boys. “It was fun, but you’ve gotten too clingy.”
His magic began leaking out from his fingertips and he thought he saw Draco flinch, but Harry managed to get control of it in time not to make a presentation of his newly developed abilities for all the school to see. When Harry didn’t speak again, Draco seemed to take it as a dismissal and he pulled Pansy along into the Great Hall.
Harry took several deep breaths and turned around, running in the opposite direction. Once outside by the still frozen lake, Harry let loose his anguish in a tidal wave of blazing heat. It licked across the face of the lake turning it’s previously glittering white surface into a bubbling boil.
One of the merpeople came screeching to the surface, yelling at him in a deafening language he couldn’t understand without being underwater, and he balled his fists at once, effectively cutting off the torrent of power. The glass green tail whipped out of sight as Hermione came bounding up behind Harry. He felt the cold of her hand press against his heated flesh and he collapsed into the now burnt grass at his feet.
“Did he tell you?” There was no need to say what he was referring to.
“No, I saw. I heard the commotion as I was coming downstairs. You ran right past me when you came here.”
“Sorry,” he said, but it didn’t sound as if he meant it. “I didn’t want to lose control in there.”
He felt the press of her forehead against his upper back, nodding her understanding. “I don’t think I realized quite what you were talking about with your extra abilities until now. You did that without a wand huh?”
Harry nodded. “I don’t ever need it anymore. It’s just for show now really.”
Hermione sighed against him. “You’re a very special boy, Harry Potter.”
Harry laughed and it was a harsh thing, making Hermione wince. “You’re going to be late for class,” he said, changing the subject.
“So are you.”
“I’m not going to class today.” He could tell she was about to argue, not much was worse to Hermione than skipping classes, but he just kept staring over the now unfrozen lake.
“Harry, Snape is going to give you detention.” Harry only shrugged. He was sure she would continue to argue, but after a few moments he felt her move away from him, and heard her crunching footsteps in the snow behind him.
--
Draco left Snape’s quarters feeling heavy and somber. He wanted Harry with every fiber of his being, but even more than he wanted him, he wanted him to be safe. If they could only live through the ordeal with Voldemort, a part of Draco knew that he and Harry would be together. But the question that plagued him now, was how far could he push Harry away, so that he could one day make it up to him, and that they would still be together.
He had already made up his mind to heed Snape’s advice and remove himself from Harry’s circle of friends. It was the most difficult decision he had ever made, but it was for Harry’s own benefit. He decided at once that he found self-sacrifice to be distasteful. He quite enjoyed getting his way all the time, and he knew there would only be one way to complete the task at hand, and that was to make Harry hate him.
He knew it would only be temporary but the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach, at the idea of Harry hating him for any amount of time, made him want to wretch. He could live… would have to live with it though, because it was more important to keep Harry safe, and as long as he was the pale dragon, and Harry his lion, the Gryffindor was not safe.
--
Harry was eager to get back to the Room of Requirement and tell Draco of the new development in his magic. It had been a brilliant lesson, in fact the best since his outburst several weeks previous. Dumbledore had seemed on edge ever since then, the sparkle gone from his blue eyes. Harry knew it had been his fault, and that he would have to work harder to earn the older mans trust again.
Earlier that night he discovered his ability to control the magic within him, and do as Dumbledore had done weeks ago and focus it on a given target, instead of letting it leak out of him like a sieve, infecting the environment all around him.
He had a sinking feeling as he made his way to the Room of Requirement, and as soon as he opened the door, he realized why.
Draco wasn’t there.
Harry sat in the armchair by the fireplace. There hadn’t been a fire lit there since that morning. A flick of his fingers and a warm blaze burst into existence in space where only ashes were before. He didn’t know how long he had waited for Draco to arrive, but Harry dozed in the chair, and was woken up when the fire began to dim.
He stretched, looking around, and still didn’t spot the Slytherin in their room, so he climbed ruefully into bed alone. He quickly ran through the events of the day while he tried to fall back to sleep, when the date popped unwillingly into his head. He rolled over to face the place where Draco usually slept and wondered if the Slytherin was upset with him. He ran his palm over the space that usually held his lover and sighed. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow," he whispered to the dark. "Happy Valentines day, Draco."
--
Harry didn’t dream of mazes that night, because Draco was purposefully staying awake. He wasn’t ready for a confrontation just yet, and he knew it would be better to have that in person rather than in the maze, where they often fought for their lives.
He was in his own dorm once again and it felt foreign. His housemates had been curious to see him there, since it hadn’t happened since prior to the Holiday. Draco rarely needed to visit the Slytherin common room because he had everything he needed in the Room of Requirement. Harry, his Gryffindor, was all that he needed. He chastised himself for the thought. Those were not the type of thoughts that would keep his resolve up, or would keep Harry safe.
He sat perched in a large armchair in the, now empty, common room struggling to think about all the things he loathed about Harry, and was angry to admit that the list was much shorter; practically non-existent, compared to just this time last year. He sighed as he thought about Harry’s hero complex. “Always saving people. Bloody Gryffindor,” he whispered to himself. Then he recalled being on the receiving end of that issue several times before, so it was difficult to fault him for it.
“His hair,” Draco whispered triumphantly. “It’s always so messy and unkempt…but so soft, and the way he leans into my hand when I run my fingers through it…” Draco cursed aloud. “This isn’t working,” he muttered after having blown through a list of everything from his infuriatingly beautiful eyes to his poor but improving talents in potions class.
He reluctantly gave up and settled down to read his transfiguration textbook. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day, and he needed his energy, but maybe by denying himself sleep he would not only keep the dreams away, but also keep himself in a foul enough mood that he would be able to stay nasty to Harry. No, not Harry. Potter.
--
Harry got lethargically up from bed as the events, or lack thereof, from the previous even crashed into the forefront of his mind. Draco had never come to their room. A brief glimpse of panic ensued as he wondered if the Slytherin was okay, or if maybe Snape had finally had enough and made Draco stay in his dorm. It wasn’t until he made his way groggily into the bathroom, that he noticed all of Draco’s things were missing. The intentions of this were quite plain; Draco wasn’t coming back. Harry couldn’t breath for a moment, but then finally regained his composure and finished getting ready.
As he slowly made his way down to the Great Hall, his eyes peeled for Draco the entire way, he stopped suddenly when he saw him. He nearly collapsed.
Walking several paces ahead of him was his pale dragon, only not his anymore it seemed. His pale arm was linked haphazardly through Pansy Parkinson’s as he leaned into her, whispering things that would cause her to giggle like mad.
Harry stopped so suddenly that a couple of second years, trailing too closely, smashed into him with a force enough to topple the two younger students and to shake Harry where he stood. After a few moments he found his voice and went storming up to the blonde, jerking him viciously by his fee arm, making Pansy lose he balance and wobble in place. “What’s the meaning of this?” Harry shouted, loud enough that anyone not already in the all could hear.
Draco sneered. “Oh, don’t go getting all possessive on me now, Potter.”
Harry paled. “What?”
Draco rolled his eyes. “Look, I thought you understood, this wasn’t an exclusive thing,” he drawled, gesturing between the two boys. “It was fun, but you’ve gotten too clingy.”
His magic began leaking out from his fingertips and he thought he saw Draco flinch, but Harry managed to get control of it in time not to make a presentation of his newly developed abilities for all the school to see. When Harry didn’t speak again, Draco seemed to take it as a dismissal and he pulled Pansy along into the Great Hall.
Harry took several deep breaths and turned around, running in the opposite direction. Once outside by the still frozen lake, Harry let loose his anguish in a tidal wave of blazing heat. It licked across the face of the lake turning it’s previously glittering white surface into a bubbling boil.
One of the merpeople came screeching to the surface, yelling at him in a deafening language he couldn’t understand without being underwater, and he balled his fists at once, effectively cutting off the torrent of power. The glass green tail whipped out of sight as Hermione came bounding up behind Harry. He felt the cold of her hand press against his heated flesh and he collapsed into the now burnt grass at his feet.
“Did he tell you?” There was no need to say what he was referring to.
“No, I saw. I heard the commotion as I was coming downstairs. You ran right past me when you came here.”
“Sorry,” he said, but it didn’t sound as if he meant it. “I didn’t want to lose control in there.”
He felt the press of her forehead against his upper back, nodding her understanding. “I don’t think I realized quite what you were talking about with your extra abilities until now. You did that without a wand huh?”
Harry nodded. “I don’t ever need it anymore. It’s just for show now really.”
Hermione sighed against him. “You’re a very special boy, Harry Potter.”
Harry laughed and it was a harsh thing, making Hermione wince. “You’re going to be late for class,” he said, changing the subject.
“So are you.”
“I’m not going to class today.” He could tell she was about to argue, not much was worse to Hermione than skipping classes, but he just kept staring over the now unfrozen lake.
“Harry, Snape is going to give you detention.” Harry only shrugged. He was sure she would continue to argue, but after a few moments he felt her move away from him, and heard her crunching footsteps in the snow behind him.
--