How to Save a Life

When Harry woke on Tuesday morning he was amazed to find himself feeling well rested and relaxed. He slid his hand under his pillow and felt his fingers brush against the parchment of Narcissa Malfoy’s letter.

He had lost count of the number of times he had read it since Draco had given it to him the morning before. It wasn’t so much the words she had used, but rather what it symbolised that left Harry feeling hopeful.

Ever since he had got together with Draco, Harry had resisted thinking about their future. This was something that came easy to him, borne of years spent thinking he would die at Voldemort’s hand before he reached adulthood.

Cocooned in the relative isolation of Hogwarts it was easy to forget the rest of the world existed. But deep down Harry knew that it did, and that it was a world that would be less than accepting of his relationship with Draco. And not because it was with another boy, because it was with a Malfoy.

If his best friend could turn his back on him simply for befriending Draco, Harry shuddered to think how everyone would respond to the news that they were dating.

It was really no one’s business but theirs, but Harry knew from bitter experience that everything about their ‘saviour’ was considered public property by most of the wizarding public.

The greatest fear for Harry had been Draco’s family. He was under no illusions that over the years the Malfoy’s had been up to their aristocratic necks in Voldemort’s plots, some of which included planning to kill him. And while Narcissa didn’t bear the dark mark, she had certainly aided them in her way. Harry had to struggle valiantly not to think about her involvement in Sirius’s death.

But whatever his personal feelings were, these were Draco’s parents and it was obvious that his boyfriend loved them both deeply. If Harry wanted to have any kind of a future with Draco he knew he had to reconcile himself, on some level, with the older Malfoy’s.

Lucius was going to be difficult. Memories of the Little Hangleton graveyard and the Department of Mysteries were going to be hard to overcome. But Lucius still had many years left to serve in Azkaban and Harry could only hope that in this time they would learn to tolerate each other for Draco’s sake.

Narcissa however, was a different matter. She was a constant presence in Draco’s life and something of a puzzle to Harry. She had knowingly lied to Voldemort, betrayed her ‘master’, which in no small part had contributed to his eventual defeat.

Harry didn’t kid himself that she had risked her life to save him. But regardless of intention, this was what she had done. Had it not been for her intervention, Harry knew he would never have left the Forbidden Forest alive that night. So whatever her motivation, Harry found himself eternally grateful to her.

It had been this that prompted Harry to prevent the Aurors from taking her straight to Azkaban, alongside Lucius, following the final battle. It was also the reason he had made a statement to the Wizengamot in her defence. Of course, his recent intervention had more to do with his feelings for Draco than for consideration of Narcissa.

But as Harry read his letter for the umpteenth time he couldn’t help the small smile that lit his face. This letter was proof to him that he and Draco could have a future together, that his mother at least wouldn’t stand in their way. In fact, if her letter to Draco was anything to go by, she almost seemed to be encouraging them.

Folding the parchment back up, Harry tucked it back under his pillow, where he kept it almost like a talisman.

Eventually Harry managed to coax his body from the warmth of his bed and readied himself for the day. Neville waited at the door for him and they made their way together down into the common room. Halfway down he was struck by the sudden urge to turn tail and hide under his duvet, Ginny was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a very determined look on her face.

“Harry, I thought you were never coming down. I’ve been waiting for ages to speak to you.” She finished up with a pointed look at Neville, clearly indicating that his presence was not required.

“I’ll see you down there, Harry.” Neville gave him a sympathetic look before heading towards the portrait hole, ignoring Harry’s pleading expression.

A soft sight escaped Harry’s lips before he could stop himself and he turned to face the smiling redhead.

“Ginny, what can I do for you?”

“I wanted to speak to you about the Halloween dance. I thought that since we’ve been getting on so well lately that we could go together, just as friends obviously.”

Harry was stumped momentarily, unsure of how to answer without it resulting in another row.

“Don’t you think it’s a good idea Harry?” She asked in a tone that showed she expected nothing more that his ready acceptance of her suggestion.

‘No’ was the simple answer but Harry had had enough experience of Ginny’s temper to know that this was not the best one. He felt the familiar stirrings of a headache and he rubbed distractedly at his forehead.

“I’m not so sure, Gin; I wasn’t really planning to go. You know me, two left feet and all.”

Ginny looked at him with a puzzled expression for a moment, “So you’re saying no?” she asked incredulously.

“Um yes, I guess so.” Harry couldn’t quite make eye contact with her and dragged the toe of his shoe nervously across the floor.

“Fine. It’s your loss Harry Potter.” Ginny span round on her heel, a curtain of red hair swinging behind her and headed in the direction of the girls dormitories.

“Well that went well,” Harry muttered to himself before heaving a sigh of relief and making his way over to the portrait hole.

Neville was waiting for him on the other side, a sympathetic grin on his face.

“That was quick. I was expecting some shouting at least!”

Harry shot his friend a wry grin. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“So what did she want?” Neville asked, unable to stifle his curiosity.

“Believe it or not, she actually asked me to go to the Halloween dance with her.”

Neville chuckled, “Bet that was awkward. How did you get out of that one?”

“I just told her I wasn’t going.”

“Do you think that was wise, Harry? I mean, she’s going to know that’s not true when you turn up on the night.” There was just a hint of concern in Neville’s voice.

Harry turned to look at his friend in confusion, “Why would you think I’d go?”

“Aren’t you then?” questioned Neville, sounding surprised.

“No, I wasn’t planning to. It’s not like Draco and I can go together, so I just figured we would make the most of some privacy while everyone else is at the dance. Are you going then, Neville?”

Neville nodded, “Yeah, I’m taking Susan Bones.”

Harry’s eyes widened in surprise at this piece of information. “How did that happen?”

“Well, she’s a nice girl and we work together a lot in Herbology so I just asked her. That’s generally how these things happen, Harry.”

“Ha-ha,” Harry returned, giving Neville a slight shove. “You know that wasn’t what I meant. Doesn’t Blaise mind that you’re taking her?”

Neville returned Harry’s shove with interest, “He can hardly object when he’s taking Millicent Bulstrode.”

Harry almost choked at this, “That’s new! What happened there?”

“I’m not really sure,” Neville admitted slowly. “It’s some weird Slytherin thing. Apparently they always go to these things with other house members. I guess until you and me, they didn’t really do much mixing with the other houses. Anyway it’s like you said, it’s not like he and I can go together.”

Harry nodded thoughtfully at this, but as they had reached the doors to the Great Hall the conversation died. They made their way over to the Gryffindor table and Harry was relieved that for once he could sit down without worrying where Ginny was.

He slid into his seat and found himself sitting next to Hermione. She gave him a quick smile which Harry returned without reservation. Whilst things with Ron were still a little tense, Harry had found that he was managing to rebuild his friendship with the frizzy haired witch.

Ever since she had helped him out with contacting Kingsley about Narcissa, all of Harry’s previous irritation with his onetime friend had vanished.

“Did you see Ginny, Harry? She was looking for you earlier.”

Harry’s mouth was full of bacon so he simply nodded in return, a slight grimace on his face.

Hermione nodded knowingly, “I tried to tell her it wasn’t a good idea. But you know what she’s like.”

Swallowing too quickly, Harry found himself choking and Neville was forced to slap him on the back.

“Thanks mate,” he said, with a grateful smile in the fair-haired boy’s direction. Then he turned back to Hermione.

“It was ok; she seemed fine with it...I think.”

Hermione gave him a disbelieving snort and quickly rolled her eyes. “Boy’s, you’re all so clueless,” she muttered as she turned her attention back to her plate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry spent most of that day in a quiet, introspective mood. Pansy tried repeatedly, throughout double Charms, to pull him out of his reverie. But not even her lively chatter could coax more than monosyllabic responses from him. Eventually she was forced to admit defeat and turn her attention back to where it should have been all along, Professor Flitwick.

Potions class was no better. Although Professor Slughorn had them working under exam conditions in preparation for their N.E.W.T.S, so Harry’s brooding was not so obvious. Even so, Draco shot one or two questioning glances at Pansy, only to receive helpless shrug in return.

Anytime any of them would ask Harry what was wrong, he would simply reply ‘nothing’ or ‘I’m thinking’ and refused to be drawn further on the subject.

Draco was slightly relieved to see that Neville got much the same silent treatment throughout most of Herbology. He figured that at least this meant that Harry wasn’t mad at him for something. But this still left him concerned as to what was troubling his boyfriend.

Finally unable to take the suspense any longer, Draco, aided by Pansy, ambushed Harry after dinner. They led him, almost forcibly, down to their common room, determined on having some answers.

Draco settled himself in his usual fireside chair and pulled a protesting Harry down into his lap. The Slytherin’s were no longer fazed by the sight of the ‘Boy Who Lived’ cuddling up to their leader. It was such a daily occurrence that none of them even batted an eyelid now.

Harry however, although he enjoyed the snuggling, was still not as relaxed about such public displays of affection.

He wriggled on Draco’s knee. “Draco, there’s plenty of chairs free for me to sit in.”

“Yes, but I want you on my lap,” the blonde replied in a voice that told Harry arguing was futile.

To further illustrate his point, Draco snaked a hand round Harry’s waist and slid it under the front of his shirt. The feel of his boyfriends fingers caressing the warm skin of his stomach, effectively killed off any further protest that Harry had planned on making.

He relaxed against Draco’s body, willing himself to ignore the grins that he knew Blaise and Pansy were shooting in his direction.

“So are you planning to tell me what’s been bothering you all day?” Draco’s lips brushed against Harry’s ear as he spoke and sent a tiny shiver through the Gryffindor’s body.

There was a pause, then Harry tilted his head so he could meet Draco’s steady gaze.

“Ginny asked me to go to the Halloween dance with her,” he answered, trying to keep his voice as matter of fact as possible.

The arm round his waist tightened noticeably and Draco’s eyes narrowed.

“I hope you told the she-weasel where to get off?” He all but growled.

Harry smiled at Draco’s obvious possessiveness for a moment, then realised that his boyfriend was still waiting for an answer.

“I just told her that I wasn’t planning to go.”

“Harry,” Draco began, in a voice one would use when explaining something to a small child. “Was that wise? Don’t you think she’s going to notice when you turn up?”

“That’s what Neville said,” Harry answered shortly, bristling slightly at Draco’s tone. “But I’m really not planning to go so I don’t see what the problem is.”

“Why not? I mean, why aren’t you going?”

Harry looked curiously at Draco’s expression, trying to gauge the reason for his sharp reply.

“Are you suggesting that we go together?” A tiny part of Harry was hoping that Draco would say yes and they could just go public and everyone else be damned. But he was realistic enough to know this was not a good idea.

“I don’t think Hogwarts is quite ready for the sight of us two waltzing round the Great Hall, do you?” Draco chuckled softly as he finished speaking and there were accompanying giggles from Pansy and Blaise.

“No, we need to have our own dates,” Draco continued. “We’ve already talked about this, Harry. That’s why I’m taking Daphne.”

“I think I would have remembered that conversation,” Harry answered stiffly and made to get up from Draco’s lap. He was pulled back down unceremoniously.

“Hey, don’t be like that, Harry. I really thought I had told you about this. I guess I just forget with all the concern over father.”

This made Harry shift guiltily. “Maybe I should just go with Ginny then,” he said quietly.

“Not while there’s still breath in my body you won’t!” Draco answered forcefully.

“So who am I supposed to take then? It’s a bit short notice to find a date now.” Harry pouted and Draco was reminded all over again of just how much he loved his boyfriend.

Before the blonde had time to reply, Pansy plopped down into Harry’s lap, grinning wildly. “I believe that’s where I come in,” she smirked.

Harry couldn’t help but smile at the girl, despite the deadening sensation she was causing in his legs.

“Pansy, you great lump, get off now!” Draco scowled at her from the bottom of the pile.

“Hush, Draco,” she scolded lightly. “Harry and I have important things to discuss. Like what he is going to wear when he escorts me to the dance.”

“It’s supposed to be a muggle themed isn’t it?” Harry mused.

“Yes, it’s some half baked idea of McGonagall’s. I swear she gets more like Dumbledore every day,” Draco scoffed.

“Draco, stop complaining. I’m looking forward to it. Robes aren’t exactly flattering to the female form you know. I have this lovely dress picked out, it’s ...Well, actually I won’t tell you, it will ruin the surprise.” She wound up with a cheeky wink at Harry.

“Now, Harry,” she continued. “You were raised by muggle’s weren’t you?” Without giving him a chance to answer, Pansy ploughed on. “So you must know what the right thing to wear is?”

Draco snorted at this, “You do remember Harry’s old wardrobe don't you, Pansy?” He got a sharp elbow to his ribs at this.

“I suppose it would be a suit, Pansy,” Harry answered, choosing to ignore Draco’s teasing. “But I don’t have one; I’ve never really had any need.”

Pansy frowned at this.

“Relax, Pansy. I’ve already spoken to mother about it and she is sending outfits for both Harry and I to wear.”

Pansy smiled warmly at her friend. “Draco, you’re a star. For that, I’ll even get off you!”

Good to her word she hopped off Harry’s lap and both boys heaved exaggerated sighs of relief, receiving a glare from the Slytherin girl in return.

“The only problem we have now is that Harry can’t dance” Pansy said, looking at the Gryffindor accusingly.

“How do you know I can’t dance,” he asked indignantly.

“Two words...Yule Ball,” Pansy replied as if this should tell Harry everything he needed to know. And in truth it did. It was memories of that particular Ball that had prompted Harry’s original decision not to attend this dance. His palms still got slightly sweaty just thinking about all that awkward shuffling around the dance floor.

“Not a problem,” Draco said dismissively. “Pansy and I both took dancing lessons when we were younger, we can teach you, Harry.”

“Oh, it seems you both have everything worked out then. I don’t have any excuses left” Harry said resignedly.

“Exactly, all you have to do is turn up and look pretty!”

“Stop calling me that,” Harry retorted with a sharp dig at his boyfriend. “You make me sound like I’m a girl. I’m not the one who took dance lessons.”

Harry found himself unceremoniously dumped onto the floor. “That piece of information doesn’t leave this room, Potter.”

Harry met Pansy’s gaze, his eyes twinkling mischievously. They both turned to look at the outraged expression on Draco’s face and promptly dissolved into a fit of giggles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review. It makes the effort of writing this so much more worthwhile. It's good to know that I'm doing something right!