The Flames of Passion

A/N: Please be aware that although this is an AR fic, there is magic involved in later chapters. Please heed the warning below, it is for your sake as the reader as well as mine. If you flame me, it will be ignored since you obviously didn't read the warning.

WARNING: This fic is based around events which some readers may find disturbing. If reading about fires, death, etc is something that will upset you, please DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER.

Beta'd by the wonderful shadow_samurai. Thanks for all your hard work, hun. Also, a huge thanks to all who have reviewed, especially ZooArmy who took the time to review here and on Hex. It's very much appreciated, this chapter is for you.

The Flames of Passion


Chapter 2


“Draco, Draco, can you hear me? Come on; open those beautiful eyes for me, Draco.”

Harry was trying desperately to get the blond to respond, but he couldn’t hear a sound from him. “Draco, it’s H…Harry. C’mon, I didn’t come all the way over here to save your sorry arse for nothing you know. Please….” Choking back a sob, Harry placed his hands on Draco’s shoulders and shook him gently…. “Draco? I have to get you out of here before the roof comes down on top of us.”

Draco was aware of someone calling his name; he just couldn’t get rid of the fogginess in his mind to assess the situation. He remembered hearing his son crying and coughing, and the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. He also remembered stumbling upstairs from the basement to reach his son’s bedroom when the upper floor crashed down on top of him, which meant…. Oh, God, no, please not my son. His eyes flew open and he tried to speak, although his throat felt like it had been ripped apart.

“Mm, son, Har… our… son!” He didn’t care if Harry had heard the slip of tongue or not, he just wanted his son out of there. It was Harry’s voice again, sounding too close to Draco’s ear for it all to be a dream, which made him turn his head and stare dumbfounded at his school crush. “Har… ry, wh… wha… chu doin’ her…?” A coughing fit wracked Draco’s slim frame and he tried desperately to move.

Harry was in rescue mode straight away, talking all the time to reassure the blond.

“Hello, beautiful. I’m here because it’s part of my job to rescue you. I’m a fireman, Draco. And right now I need you to tell me exactly where we are so the rescue squad can get us out. Can you do that for me, love? And once we’re back on solid ground we’ll have a long talk, yeah?”

Draco looked confused. Why was Harry in his home? A painful, heart-wrenching cry ripped through the air, and Draco realized it wasn’t a dream and he was facing his worst nightmare. His legs were trapped under some fallen debris and he couldn’t get to the source of the screams. Harry was their only chance of getting out of there alive. He gripped the brunet’s protective jacket tightly and pleaded with him to get to his son.

“West, w… wing, be… tween base, basement and gr… ground level. My son’s, roo…m was…” Draco slumped down onto the floor sobbing uncontrollably. Harry reached for his radio and made a frantic plea to the rescue squad.

He told them exactly where they were but he didn’t want to leave Draco. The blond was trapped from the waist down and as Harry took in the scene of devastation around him, he realized his watch were still trying to douse the flames. The fire hadn’t reached them yet, but it was only a matter of time as the smoke was becoming thicker and Harry found himself coughing and gagging, for the second time that night. But he had to get Draco out.

“Draco, they’re coming for us. I’m going to move some of the wood and debris from your legs. Can you try to sit up for me?”

Draco groaned at the unbearable pain shooting up his legs. He tried to block it out by thinking about the one and only night he had spent with Harry. It had been the most beautiful night of his life; Harry making love to him so slowly and sweetly, his voice soft and sultry, full of heat and desire. Draco wanted that night to last forever, and when they switched positions and he entered Harry’s body for the first time, it was the most intense feeling he had ever had. He regretted the way they had parted, but he’d managed to love and be loved, and that was all that mattered right now. He could live with that knowledge beyond the grave, but his son couldn’t. He was still so young, just a fledgling waiting to blossom, and Draco didn’t want to snatch that from him. He cleared his raw throat and surprised Harry when he almost yelled coherently.

“Leave me, Harry. Just get ou… my son out of here alive. I need him alive, he’s all I have. Please.”

Harry could feel the tears beginning to form behind his tired eyes. Draco was pleading with him. A part of Harry wanted to leave the child where he was; after all, why was Draco so concerned about the spawn of Pansy Parkinson? But he had a job to do, and although he didn’t want to leave Draco, he knew the blond would never forgive him if the child died. Harry asked what direction he should go in and Draco managed to point feebly to his right.

“His room was directly above that um… door. I think the floor coll… oh, fuck, it collapsed, and… and, he was in his cot, Harry. Please, find him,” Draco sobbed.

Harry took Draco’s face in his gloved hands and placed a soft kiss on the chapped, swollen lips in front of him. “I’ll find him, I promise. Draco, just in case one of us doesn’t make it out of here I want you to know, I… I love you. I never stopped loving you and I never will.” Harry left a stunned blond in his wake as he turned and ran through the smoking building. Draco could hear him coughing and retching, and he felt his stomach tighten. He was stuck in the most horrific situation. He was either going to lose his son, or Harry, or even both of them. How could he have been so stupid? What was he thinking? Harry had said they were coming for them; he could have waited a few moments longer. Losing both was not an option. If that happened then he may just have to brew himself a very potent poison. His life would be nothing without his son, his only reminder of his one night with Harry. And if he lost Harry too? It was with that thought he closed his eyes and waited to die. The rescue team would find his charred body and break the news to Harry.

***********
Harry rushed towards the choked screams coming from a few metres in front of him. He was too frightened to look at the cot, which seemed to be in one piece except for the blankets which were smouldering, and thankfully, not covering the small child. He reached in and picked up the precious bundle, cradling him to his chest and heading towards the exit. It was then he realized his path was blocked; the exit was no longer accessible.

He grabbed his radio, hoping he would get through to someone outside and not his colleagues inside the burning building. “Fire Fighter Potter to control.” He listened intently to the static of the radio and tried again. “Fire Fighter Potter to control, can anyone hear me?”

Gerry Sneddon heard the frantic call from one of his men and seized the radio from its base in the fire engine. He was relieved and pissed off at the same time. How could Potter have been so stupid to go in for rescue? What was he thinking? He was going to tell Potter exactly what he thought of his heroic decision.

“Potter, I hope you have a very good reason to be contacting control. You are in deep shit for this, boy.”

Harry listened to Sneddon chastise him but he didn’t care about the punishment he would no doubt receive. Instead he answered as calmly as possible.

“I’m sorry, sir. You have every reason to be angry, but there were two people still stuck in there and I couldn’t just leave them. Speaking of which, I have the other child here and he’s in a pretty bad way, smoke inhalation and a few burns to the arms and legs. He needs hospitalized immediately, but, I, erm, I can’t find the exit.”

Gerry rolled his eyes and motioned the paramedics and the rescue team forward. The fire was under control now, which meant they could enter the lower half of the building to rescue only.

“Stay there, Potter. Rescue are on their way.”

*********

Daylight was breaking over the countryside as the last of the Red Watch gathered the hoses and rolled them back into their places. Although it had been one of the worst shouts the crew had been to in a while, they were smiling and joking with each other. Mike was in awe at Harry’s heroics and wondered if his friend and colleague would be all right. They had rescued Harry and the child and rushed them both to Wiltshire General Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. The condition of the child was still unknown, but Mike hoped he was okay.

Gerry approached the team and clapped each of them on the back. “Well done, lads. Five people rescued alive, and one of our own too. Stupid prat,” he added with affection. “Let us get back to the station, have some breakfast and a well-earned rest. I’ll call the hospital to see how our Harry is doing.”

They all got back into their respective vehicles and headed back to the station. The journey back seemed longer and it was in silence, all of them trying to come to terms with the realization that no lives had been lost to the fire which should have claimed everyone trapped in there. Someone somewhere was watching over them all that night. It was just too much to take in. Draco and his son were affected the worst by the collapse of the building and the smoke, but they were alive, and that was all that mattered.

**********

Harry was given the all clear two hours after being admitted to hospital. He quickly dressed in his station uniform, wondering vaguely where his protective gear was, and made his way along to the reception area. The nurse behind the desk smiled at him and wished him well.

“Thanks, but I was wondering if it was possible to see Draco Malfoy. I know visiting hours are not until later, but I really need to see if he’s okay. I didn’t get to find out if he… um….”

She could hear the discomfort in the young man’s voice. She tapped a few keys on the computer and told Harry he was two corridors down, room two-ten. Harry snorted; it was just like Draco to have a private room. He thanked the kind nurse and made his way along the sterile corridors until he came face to face with the door that he knew Draco would be behind. Harry’s hands had become sweaty; he wiped them on his trousers and opened the door. The sight that greeted him was not what he expected.


Draco was lying flat on his back, the white sheet only just covering his bare chest. Harry looked away, remembering the time he had kissed that chest. The way he had sucked the nipples into his mouth and listened to Draco moaning with pleasure beneath him. He remembered that chest, covered in sweat and cum from the force of Draco’s climax, and the way Harry had licked the trail of Draco’s seed from that chest and stomach. But this was not the time to be having these thoughts. They were dead and buried; Draco was married, and it was forbidden to even think of making love to the blond again.

Harry made his way over to the side of the bed and lowered himself into a plastic chair. So much for comfort. Typical of the NHS, he mused. He just watched Draco sleep and listened to the sound of the machines bleeping beside his bed. Draco had been unconscious since Harry left him and they weren’t sure if it was due to the smoke or if he had any internal injuries. The tests they had been doing in the early hours proved pointless. Nothing showed up, yet he was still comatose. Harry took his hand and stroked his thumb across the knuckles.

“I was so relieved when they told me they got you out, Draco. I wouldn’t let them - the nurses, I mean - anywhere near me until they found out how you were. I want you to get better; we have so much to talk about. I want to know why you left the wizarding world, Draco. I’ve heard snippets but I want to hear it from you. I… I meant what I said back there, I do love you. I don’t care if you can’t love me back, because of Pansy, but I just want you to remember if you need me, I’m here for you. Oh, I got your son out. He’s beautiful, Draco. Looks nothing like Pansy, though. I’m beginning to wonder if you’ve been a naughty boy.” Harry smirked when he remembered just how naughty Draco could be.

“Anyway, I’d better go. I have to report to the Chief as soon as I’m out of here. No doubt I’ll be sacked for my contribution this morning, but it was worth it. I’d do it again if I had to. I… um… I hope I see you again. Take care, Draco. I love you.” Harry placed a soft kiss on Draco’s forehead and left the sleeping blond to heal.

If Harry had stayed just a few moments longer, he would have heard Draco’s ragged breathing and the whispered, ‘I love you too, Harry.’

TBC