Not Your Usual Love Story

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything from the Potter canon. Any OCs are mine, as is the story portrayed herein. Anything copyrighted to the name of JK Rowling or and of her publishers have simply been borrowed. I make no money from this story or any of my others. This chapter contains under-age drinking. If it’s a problem, get a grip, OK?

Harry and Draco sat in their secluded corner for a moment. The former Slytherin was wallowing in his luck, unbelievably happy that his Slytherin friends, who had been his family for the past six years, didn’t hate him for defecting to Gryffindor. Harry, on the other hand, was rather relieved that he hadn’t been hexed into next week by Pansy. He had been surprised at what Blaise had said, but he wasn\'t going to argue. He could, after all, be friends with whomever he wanted now that Voldemort was gone. Death plots weren’t going to be a part of everyday life for Harry anymore - he didn’t need to spend the rest of his life hiding away from Death Eaters and people who wanted him dead. It appeared that fights with Draco and his evil little band of Slytherin biatches were on hiatus as well.

“You alright, beautiful?” Harry asked quietly, leaning in to rest his head on Draco’s shoulder.

“Yeah. Shattered, like I said, but apart from that, fine. Think I might have to go to bed by myself tonight so that I can actually get some sleep.” Draco smiled at his brand spanking new boyfriend, aware that Harry would intuitively know he was taking the piss.

“Fine then, be like that,” Harry joked right back, before looking up. “Oh my god… this could be interesting.” Hermione and Ron were approaching them, shoulder to shoulder, looking…defiant. They were holding hands, and Hermione looked like the circulation in hers was on its way to being cut off.

“Harry!” squeaked Hermione when they reached the pair. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I’m sorry, Hermione, and Ron, I’m so sorry. I’ve been having such issues with coming out and what with the whole Voldemo…”

“No, you silly boy.” Hermione interrupted him mid-flow. “We knew you’re gay, we figured it out flipping years ago. Why didn’t you tell us about Malfoy! Sooo cute!” Hermione looked as though she was about to start skipping around the room in delight. “A gay best friend, and,” she looked at Malfoy “maybe another one?”
Ron sighed dramatically.

“Time to ‘fess up I guess, Harry. We were going to come over and take the piss and pretend to be horrible, like the Slytherins did, but looks like Hermione has” he turned to his happily grinning girlfriend “no self-control. She’d never have made it as a Marauder. Can’t keep her mouth shut about anything! I’m happy for you, guys. Malfoy, I know we’ve had our arguments, but I’m sure we can get on for Harry’s sake. Harry, fucking well done for finally getting some happiness in your life. I haven’t seen you smile this much since fourth year when Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret... oh… sorry, Malfoy.”

Harry had burst out laughing all over again, and, after grimacing slightly, and looking at Ron for sympathy, Draco began laughing too.

“I guess it probably was funny from where you were standing. Personally, if I never see that man again it will be too soon.” He shuddered. “Why a ferret? Why? They’re like rats, but bigger. And they smell.” His face was picture perfect Malfoy, with a sneer as he thought about being bounced around the dungeon corridor. “And those walls in the dungeons are bloody hard, I can tell you.”

“You have to remember it wasn’t him though, Draco. It was Crouch. Moody is actually quite a nice guy, if totally insane.” Harry glanced downwards for a moment, remembering the tumultuous events of their fourth year.

“Harry, I have to tell you something,” said Ron, looking sheepish. Harry’s head snapped upwards, and he looked fearful.

Harry had an idea in the back of his head that this was going to be along the lines of Ginny’s delight at seeing them together the other night.

“Is it to do with Fred and George?” he asked suspiciously.

“Umm…yes.”

“How much did you win?” Harry was resigned to the fact that almost every Weasley had made money on his and Draco’s getting together.

“Fifteen galleons. Five for the kiss that Ginny saw, another ten for the getting together. If you ever get married, I get two hundred.”

“I fucking hate Fred and George.” Harry had never been good at pretending to be pissed off, and his efforts now were hilarious. Ron was desperately trying not to laugh at his friends supposed indignation, and Harry was trying to keep a smirk of his face. What ever way you looked at it, this was definitely very, very funny.

“Well, it looks like they’re going to be fairly skint for a few months now. Almost everyone in Gryffindor had a bet going; and some Slytherins as well. Snape and McGonagall had a contest going. Snape was saying you would!”

“Fucking hell!” Draco was finding it slightly harder to be amused than Harry, but it suddenly occurred to him that if his parents ever found out, they would only be able to yell at him from their painting, and they’d probably have won money if they’d still been alive. He wasn’t going to get disowned, or kicked out of home, and the Malfoy fortune was already his. The non-existent Weasley twins’ fortune was soon to be won by everyone in the Wizarding World. Fuck it, Voldemort would probably have won a galleon or two if he’d been alive.

The party wound down fairly soon after that, as it was getting on for midnight, and people were tired from their journey on the train that day. It was hard for a lot of people to believe that it was their first day back at Hogwarts. Already so much had happened, what with the re-sorting, and the whole ‘winning loads of galleons’ thing. When the Seventh year Gryffindors returned to the tower, the common room was empty, and the fire still burning in the grate. Instantly, McGonagall’s head appeared in the fire place.

“Good evening, Seventh years. I just wanted to check that you have all returned safely. As you’re back, I’m giving you permission to stay up, as long as you’re in the common room. No girls in boy’s dorms, and the stairs will take care of boys trying to go up the girl’s staircase! I’ve left a box behind the chair for you to share. Be careful now. And Mr Malfoy, welcome to Gryffindor.”

Her head popped away. And then popped back.

“Mister Potter, Malfoy? Congratulations. And Severus might be thanking you later.” She disappeared again, laughing her dis-embodied head off. Draco looked vaguely mortified. Harry couldn’t help but snigger.

“What the hell kind of box?” asked Ron. Seamus and Neville ran behind the couch and picked up a large cardboard container.

“A box full of drink! Firewhiskey, and some muggle shite” Seamus’ Irish accent rang around the common room joyfully, “And hangover potions! I fucking love that woman sometimes!”

It took the Gryffindors no time at all to settle themselves around the fire on various sofas. Draco sat on a big arm chair, Harry sitting on the floor in between his legs. Draco’s hands subtly twined through his boyfriend’s hair as Harry passed him a tumbler of Firewhiskey.

“Why do we always get pissed together, Potter?” asked Draco.

“We’re alcoholics, obviously.” Harry ran his fingers down Draco’s calf, feeling the well defined muscle through the black combats Draco wore under his robes.

Hermione and Ron were seated next to each other on the trademark Gryffindor ‘big comfy sofa’, his arm casually round her shoulders in a very protective, loving gesture. They looked like the perfect couple.

Seamus and Neville had both collapsed into a perfect example of that other Gryffindor trademark, the ‘big comfy armchair’. They did have one each; it would have been quite a squish to fit them both in one, even in a big comfy armchair.

“So guys, good summer?” asked Neville. He seemed a bit nervous, like he always did in front of Draco, even though the former Slytherin was now a member of his own house and sitting in a chair wrapped up with one of Neville’s best friends.

“Yeah” answered Harry. “Me, Ron and \'Mione got pissed a lot and forgot all about the Dark blinking Lord and all that arse that’s been holding me down for the past six years.” That ‘I defeated the Dark Lord’ grin was back on his face.

“You ever gonna not smile when we mention him?” Asked Seamus.

“Nope” replied Harry, still grinning. “And you know why? Cause I’m never going to have to wake up with my head feeling like it’s going to split open again. Never going to have to clear my mind before I go to sleep. NO MORE OCCLUMENCY/DETENTION/REMEDIAL POTIONS TRANING WITH EFFING SNAPE!”

“Remedial whaaaaaat? Occlu whaaaaat?” Draco shrieked in the most effeminate of fashions. “You had Occlumency and you lied and told everyone it was remedial fricking potions lessons? Occlumency is Auror level training. You should be proud of yourself.”

“Yeah, well. It wasn\'t me that wanted it, and it wasn’t me that called it that. Dumbledore made me do it, and Snape made me humiliate myself by calling it either Potions or Detention. Bastard. He hates me, thinks I’m my father. But you know what? I don’t care anymore!” Harry poured himself and Draco some more FireWhiskey.

“Why did you need it anyway?” Asked Seamus. “Yeah, you never told us that’s where you were.” Neville looked hurt.

“Voldemort kept entering my mind whilst I was asleep. It was sort of, kind of detrimental to my mental health having a maniac poking around in my brain. So I had to learn Occlumency from Snape of all people, so that I could empty my mind before I went to sleep and so that Voldie-woldie couldn’t enter my head.”

Ron interrupted him suddenly.

“Harry, Draco, we’ve got the best Quidditch team in history. Two talented seekers.”

Draco giggled. This was going to be a surprise for both Harry and Ron. Hell, it had been niggling Draco ever since the start of school. He was going to have to say it.

“Actually, I’m much better at playing chaser. Much, much better. I just wanted to be seeker so that I could fight with Potter. Never mind. You need a chaser Ron?”

Harry’s and Ron’s mouths were so far open they couldn’t speak. Ron eventually pulled himself together and said “Yeah, yeah we could do with a decent chaser. Bloody hell. If you ever play so good we have to sing ‘Malfoy is our King’…wouldn’t that be weird?”

Harry tilted his head back and looked at his new boyfriend.

“Bastard. You know how scared I used to get about playing against you?”

“You’d never have been as good without me. I made you that little bit better, cause you always had to try and beat me.”

“Fucking hate you.” Harry made his decision, and scowled at Draco.

“Fucking hate you too. Especially your eyes. Hate them.” Draco poked out his tongue at Harry.

The blonde leant forwards and pecked a chaste kiss on Harry’s forehead.

“Maybe, maybe I don’t hate you.” Harry began to ‘reconsider’ his ‘decision.’

“Maybe I don’t hate you either.” Draco smirked again. Harry felt that now familiar tightening in his trousers and realised he wouldn’t be able to stand up for a while.

Hermione stood up from where she was cuddling with Ron and walked to the window.

“What you doing ‘Mione?” asked her boyfriend.

“There’s an owl… I think it’s Errol,” she replied.

“Bollocks, must have forgotten something. Unless it’s my galleons from Fred and George…”

Hermione took the letter from the owl and looked at it curiously.

“It’s for Harry and Draco.”

She chucked the letter at the couple, who by now, had looked up to find out what was going on. Draco opened it tentatively.

“I don’t think Mrs Weasley likes me very much. If it bites my head off, I want a nice funeral. No lilies.”

Dear Harry and Mr. Malfoy.
CONGRATULATIONS! When Minerva, sorry, Professor McGonagall owled me to tell Fred and George that Severus had won the bet I was so happy I nearly cried. I am so pleased for you Harry, and also for you, Draco. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner for someone I truly consider my son. After you joined us for dinner the other night, I have seen what a nice person you are Draco, even after everything, and it would be a pleasure to have you visit us the next time Harry does.
Molly (and Arthur) Weasley.
P.S. Fred and George say they’ll be visiting next week to pay up everyone’s bets.


***
Thank you all for following/reading this far, I know it’s slow moving, but I do have a lot more written which will be on it’s way a.s.a.p. Bear with me.
Love you all,
Lily x xx x
AND JUST AN EXTRA BIT:
Successfully Beta’d by Tashasaphi. Woof.

I love my beta….