Broken Normalcy

Chapter six: Surprise Visitor

Much later as the Christmas Eve party reached its peak, all the Weasleys—and Potters—were settling at the vast dining table.

“Harry, have you seen Mel?” Ginny asked him as she helped Derrick to his seat.

It took a bit for Harry to register that as Ginny hadn’t said anything to him ever since they had arrived.

“I sent her to the bathroom to wash her hands. Go check on her, please—Derrick!” Ginny laughed as the little boy pulled at her red hair playfully, the people closest to the episode laughed with her.

“Derrick, don’t pull your mother’s hair.” He chided dutifully and his boy nodded, eyes glinting. Harry tickled him as punishment but then Ginny pushed lightly at him.

“Go check on Mel, please.” She reminded.

Harry nodded, eyes meeting Ginny for a brief moment and then left.

“Are you sure you are one of daddy’s friends?”

Harry’s eyes narrowed towards the corridor, opposite from where the bathroom was, and walked towards the entrance of the house to see his daughter peeking out the door, her hand clenching the door’s knob nervously.

“What are you doing, Melissa?” He asked in his most authoritarian tone.

The little girl winced and looked back eyes wide. Then they filled with relief seeing who it was and she ran up in her father’s arms.

“Who is at the door, sweetie?” And just as Harry was asking, the door Melissa had left ajar opened and the figure of Draco Malfoy stood there.

Harry froze over.

Even Draco seemed unmoving as he stubbornly kept his gaze with a rapidly angering Harry Potter. Moments passed in which Mel begun sensing a weird feeling about and looked up at her father for confirmation.

Harry’s features were set, his cheeks were flushed and from where she was, Mel could see his jaw tightening.

“Daddy?” She tried.

“Go to mom, eat your dinner. I will be back soon.” He ruffed, eyes softening when they met Mel’s. “Save me some Sheppard pie, ok?”

The girl smiled but gave him what seem like an encouraging hug and Harry’s heart went out to his daughter.

“Melissa,” he said then as he lowered her down, “don’t say anything to anyone, not even your mother, about this. Ok?”

Taken aback by her father’s strong tone she nodded silently.

“Do you understand?” Harry made sure, giving her a pointed look.

The little girl nodded again, “Yes daddy I do, I promise.” She looked over her shoulder to the blond stranger, hands clasping at her father protectively and gave him an unsure glance.

“I’ll be back soon.” He repeated and Melissa looked up at her father with respect.

“I’ll tell mom you’re gone to the bathroom yourself.”

Harry smiled down at her and she skipped away.

“Daddy’s girl, eh?”

Harry looked up and glared as he quickly stormed towards Draco and closing the door hurriedly behind him as he pointed accusingly at the blond.

“What the hell are you doing here?!”

Draco’s light mood dropped and he looked away.

They were standing on the Weasley’s porch, outside in the cold December air amongst snow. Harry had come out without a coat, but he didn’t feel the cold in all his anger.

“What the fuck were you thinking with even coming here?!” Harry demanded and Draco took a step back. “How do you even know this place? You’re not supposed to be here! You’re not supposed to be here!”

“Harry, hush—”

“Fuck hush!” He spat, his eyes ablaze as he whipped up his wand.

Draco stumbled back as the tip of it stabbed his throat. He coughed, “Look, I’m sorry ok? I’m so—”

“Stop apologizing for crying out loud!”

Draco closed his mouth. Both were breathing raggedly and Draco lifted his hands so that Harry could see them as the invading wand was still up at him.

Draco searched Harry’s eyes imploringly but the emeralds hardened over.

“I should have sent you to the ministry the first time I saw you, goddamit.” He said, “Sent you like a nice Christmas present, what do you think about that?”

“Harry—”

“I don’t care what you think!” Harry bellowed, his wand hand shaking in unspeakable fury. “I was weak, fine. But now it’s got to stop. Go away, Draco—go where you’ve were all those years—go back to hell!”

“Harr—”

But Harry had pushed his wand even more insistently at Draco’s throat, right at the pressure point where he could cut Draco’s airway if the thick scarf hadn’t been there.

“Of all the times!” he shrilled desperately, “Of all the times for you to show up you showed up at Christmas! Ginny loves Christmas—and keep your hands were I can see them!”

Draco frowned, fear visible on his face as he tried to gulp. He was violently pushed against the wall and his head hit it not too kindly.

“Good, I hope it hurts.” Harry said venomously as he pinned the blond against the wall. Draco rested his hands against the wall next to his head.

“Harry, please don’t do this.”

“Quite!”

“I’ve just—I’m sorry, Harry—”

“I said, shut up!”

“ I love you, Harry!”

“I said—!” Harry’s breath hitched, green eyes widening as he stepped away from the other man. His wand still pointing at him though and Draco once again searched Harry’s eyes with his own.

He pleaded quietly with him, hands fisting next his head in a total turmoil of his own emotions.

“No.” Harry declared, brokenly. “Noo!”

“Who the hell are you, eh? Who the fuck do you think you are that can come up at Christmas at my wife’s family door—you’re disgusting.”

Draco closed his eyes in pain.

“Where the hell were you all those years ago when I needed you, eh? Eh??”

Draco exhaled dejectedly and opened his silver watery eyes at Harry. He could see it in Harry’s face that Harry wanted no, needed, an answer. But Draco never gave it to him.

“That’s how you love me.” Harry hissed in repugnance.

“What happened to you, Harry?” Draco asked in a surprisingly soft tone of voice, defeated. The question brought Harry back at that time in the coffee shop.

“I grew up. I have a family.”

Draco shook his head. “What happened to ‘my’ Harry? The one who loved me—the one who took me in his arms all those years ago that—”

“How dare you bring that up.”

Draco’s spirits ebbed away. “You’re all I know, Harry. You are home.”

Harry’s wand was steadily shaking now and at the soft uttered confession, Harry had even more trouble with his emotions.

“You have a home,” he said finally, “With Egan, you,” Harry’s face darkened. “You love him.” Those words thrown back at him made Draco cringe.

“I lied.”

“What!?”

“I lied…”

Harry’s eye twitched and he stepped away again, wand finally at his side. Draco lowered his hands but stayed against the wall.

“I don’t, I don’t understand…You, the shopping and the, the paintings.”

“The paintings were mine, I drew them.” Draco admitted. “And the shopping well, I have to eat…I just, I made ‘Egan’ up there and then because I didn’t want you thinking that I…”

“Couldn’t find someone else to replace me with?”

“So you wouldn’t know just how miserable I was without you---because I could never find anybody to ever, ever replace you, Harry. Never.” Draco said heatedly, tired now of Harry’s sarcastic spats.

At the fire in the silver eyes Harry shifted uncomfortably, the message sinking slowly in.

“I hadn’t meant to find you, honest, that at list was true. But once I saw you…Harry, even if I had promised, I couldn’t Harry, I just…Although I swore to them, I did really, I did, but I just couldn’t let you go again.”

Harry’s heart was beating furiously on his ribcage. “What on earth are you talking about?”

And Draco was crying, beautiful and strong as Harry had always remembered him, in front of him.

“I left like they wanted me to. I left for you.”

Harry’s voice was weak. “What are you saying?”

“I’m sorry Harry, please, Harry I’m so sorry.”

Something hot and wet pierced suddenly on Harry’s cold cheeks, and the wizard felt overwhelmed with his own emotions—so much that they cascaded down his cheeks. Air puffs were steadily coming out of Harry’s mouth as he fought for something to say.

“All I want to do is hold you and have you close, so bad. Gods Harry, how I’ve missed you. I want to kiss you, I want to make you laugh and I want what we had…I want to make love to you again. I want you to love me back.” Draco added, sobs chocking him up.

Harry’s wand fell lifeless by his feet and he covered his face with both his hands. His shoulders were shaking uncontrollably as he cried in them.

It must have been in moments but it had been years that Harry had waited to feel warm familiar arms circle him once more. He uncovered his face quickly enough to rest it on Draco’s chest as he pulled the blond in his own arms.

It was beautiful and welcoming and so achingly familiar as Harry cried and Draco’s scent was all around him yet again.

And it was so easy, Harry realized, so easy to touch Draco now, so easy to want him near, to need him just as the blond needed him. It was so easy to just reach out and hold, like they were holding, and so easy to both get lost in memories and those familiar feelings that had never truly been dormant.

Harry held on tighter, he didn’t want to let go.

He didn’t want to think.

So many new questions that he needed answers to. He didn’t want to know what his beating heart meant or the impending sense of doom that wavered before them both.

He was just suddenly glad, glad to hold someone in his arms—glad for that person to be Draco, and he did not shrink away, he didn’t stiffen up. He just pulled the blond closer against his body.

It was so easy to forget. Forget the pain, forget about been hurt, forget about everybody else.

It was so easy.

And Harry cried, cried like that time when he was clutching at the steering wheel, like that time when Hermione had comforted him in his kitchen and even far back, when he cried because he was denied all that he had ever wanted.

All he wanted was to feel loved. All he wanted was to belong and be free to love the one person he could ever give his heart too.

It felt so right; it was easy to see that too. How right it was, and he couldn’t deny it, and he didn’t know how to explain it and at the moment, he couldn’t care with explanations.

He suddenly breathed and his eyes opened.

It was snowing now and for the first time Harry shivered also because of the cold. Draco held him more protectively then, the side of his face was resting on top of Harry’s head lovingly.

Harry wished for everything else to disappear.

It all came back though, the reality of it, of everything.

It hurt so much, worse than before even, and Harry hid his face against Draco’s jacket as he sighed, fighting to gain prospective.

“I wish I could ask you to run away with me, Harry.” Draco whispered close to his ear, “I wish I could ask you to come away with me. But I can’t.”

Harry glorified in the fact that despite Draco’s words, the blonds’ arms gripped him even closer. “No you can’t.” Harry mumbled against his chest. “And I can’t either.”

Finally Harry looked up, his emerald eyes alive and shining in a way Draco had never forgotten but missed terribly.

He raised a hand to Harry’s cool cheek and surprisingly, his hand was warm, so very warm that Harry’s eyes closed almost involuntary and he leant in the touch.

“Merry Christmas!”

The happy shouts came from inside by a chorus of voices and it made Harry’s eyes jolt open, heart clenching. He met Draco’s soft gaze and calm smile and for a moment it was like those voices had never happened, never existed.

“I should be in with them,” Harry said, breathlessly.

Draco nodded, “I know.” But he smiled again in that way that made Harry enthralled. “Merry Christmas, Harry.”

And Harry smiled back, biting his lips when Draco’s eyes fell on them.

“Draco, I…”

“I know, you’re married, I know.” Harry looked away somewhat sheepish but looked up as Draco’s hand lifted his chin in a gentle gesture.

“But we’ve been standing under mistletoe all this time, Harry.” He was almost smirking, “I’ve been dying to let you notice it.”

Harry looked up and yes, mistletoe, fresh and blooming even, it was right there on top of the entrance to the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley put it there every Christmas times, after all.

He found himself laughing, looking away from Draco’s inquisitive eyes and oh Gods, he just knew he was blushing.

“It’s just tradition, Harry.” Draco said when the other dared to look back up.

They took a moment to stare longingly in the eyes of the other, both savoring the moment as they staid securely in their long awaited embrace.

“What if I forgot how to kiss…”

“Nonsense!” Draco chirped, the back of his fingers tracing Harry’s cheek.

Harry felt breathless and he licked his lips quickly, “What if I forgot how to kiss you?”

Draco gave him a long smoldering look. “You could never forget how to kiss me.”

Harry’s eyes twinkled back at Draco’s, “Oh? And how would you know that?”

“It comes out like flying for you, natural, like you were born for it.”

Now Harry’s eyes slid down Draco’s lips, he was panting again with a slight shiver of anticipation.

“I haven’t flied for a long time either.” Harry said, “Maybe I forgot that too.” And he looked up, slowly, at Draco. “Remind me?”

All games of play were over now, the soft banter gone as Draco’s eyes took a new light—entirely.

Harry studied every inch of Draco’s descending face and kept his eyes fixed on Draco’s as their lips finally met.

Draco pecked his lips leisurely once, twice, then Harry responded with his own lips and Draco’s were welcoming and embracing, they took him and suddenly, they opened, and Harry moaned eyes falling close as the hand on his cheek went at the back of his head, sinking in his hair.

Draco’s tongue made its sinuous dance, seducing Harry’s in attentive strokes, igniting such a passion in Harry’s being that floored him completely.

But yet at the same time, it was deep and thoughtful, it was always so unbearably slow, and Harry used it to his advantage, responding with his own moves.

The blond trembled in his arms when Harry kissed back with the same dedication. He lifted a hand in the soft, silky hair and gripped it gently, cradled Draco’s head with care, pulling the man more to him as he deepened the kiss. Draco let him take charge; he was swept by Harry completely.

Their lips were soft and smoldering against the other and their tongues both inquisitive and hot. But still, they kissed each other with the patience of a saint, with no urgency as each gave the other what they needed, what they wanted.

It was a beautiful kiss.

A long, thorough kiss that had Harry’s skin tingle with what seemed electricity.

Air was suddenly useless and there was no need for it, they could have kissed and kissed forever. Draco smiled against Harry’s lips, pecking them goodbye and leant back just enough to gaze back in Harry’s eyes.

The shorter man had followed the retreating lips, eyes still closed, and when he opened them they were glazed and far away.

“No, I don’t think you have forgotten.”

********
A/N:YES, Egan WAS a fake, and Draco drew those paintings! Finally, I can just say it!

I was between pulling my hair out with half of you RIGHT-ON GUESSING, thinking I had given part of the plot away so easily! However, the other part of me was happy you guys noticed something was off because that means my little clues as subtle as they may have seen, worked! And I am so proud for myself for that..!

More is revealed now…What are you all thinking? Has it twisted your mind some more? Where you expecting it? (Jee, I hope not lmao!)

--And the kiss! Finally…Oh I am so curious what you all think! I wish I could see your faces..!

I can promise more soon—and more explanations. Please, review!