Fighting Destiny

Disclaimers: I own nothing.
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It was early November and it was quite cold outside, winter was coming and winter was an unforgiving season.

Draco stepped back and looked at himself in the mirror. /Fuck!/ He mentally cursed. How had he gotten himself into such a stupid mess?

He looked over his shoulder at his bed. The one lying in his bed still slept soundlessly. Black hair covered the pillow.

“Blaise, get up.”

“Why?” Moaned the figure on the bed.

“Because you need to. It’s time for breakfast now get up.”

“But I’m tired. I won’t want to.”

“Blaise, get up!”

“Argh, fine!”

Blaise pushed himself up off Draco’s bed and looked over the Slytherin who still had water dripping from his head, “You were up for a while weren’t you?”

“Yes I was.”

Blaise frowned but didn’t say anything more.

“Why Blaise?”

Blaise stayed silent for a while then suddenly turned to Draco, “You don’t love me do you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then how come after we make love you never tell me that?”

“I didn’t think something so obvious needed to be spoken out loud.”

“But I do. I need you to tell me Draco. I need you to tell me that you love me.”

“Blaise, get ready for breakfast okay?”

“Draco? Am I just another fling like your other lovers or do I actually mean something?”

“Blaise, just get ready for breakfast will you? I’ll meet you down there. Take a shower first.”

With that Draco left the room to Blaise who were both fully aware of the unanswered question and the unspoken words.

*~*

Draco entered the Great Hall and saw him, the one with jet-black hair.

Harry was sitting with his friends already. With Ron’s arm wrapped around his waist. /That fucking slut. He shouldn’t be allowed to even touch Harry./ Thought Draco as he took his seat at the Slytherin table.

*~*

“Harry, is something wrong?”

“No Ron, I’m fine. Why do I look like there’s something wrong?”

“No, I’m just worried about you. Your awfully silent.”

“Oh, sorry dear.”

Ron smiled at Harry and nuzzled his face in Harry’s neck. MMmm… Harry always smelled so good.

“Harry, I was wondering if after we graduate this year if we could, you know, get a place together. I know your training to be an Auror and everything and I want to work within the ministry.”

“Um, Ron, isn’t it a bit early to be thinking about that?”

“Why Harry? We’ve known each other since our first year and we’ve been together since our sixth year. Why can’t we talk about our future together? Don’t you love me Harry?”

“Of course I do Ron. It’s just, even after I defeated Voldemort, things just don’t seem stable enough. Maybe in a few years Ron.”

“But where are you going to stay then?”

“I’ll find a place. Don’t worry about me alright?”

“Harry, you know you’ve never told me that you love me. I’ve told you countless amount of times but you’ve never told me.”

“Ron, I didn’t think I had to tell you. Hasn’t it been made clear?”

“No, I need you to tell me. Just tell me Harry.”

By this time most of the Griffindor table was looking at the couple. They were all used to the two of them seeing each other but this was strange. They never really had arguments that seemed as serious as this one. Apparently Harry didn’t look at it as being a serious argument since Harry didn’t give Ron what he wanted.

Ron released his hold on Harry and took his seat by himself and dug into his breakfast without another word.

Harry sighed, put down his fork and gave up on eating. Harry got up and left the Great Hall.

*~*

Meanwhile, a few minutes after Draco had seated himself at the Slytherin table to have full view of the Griffindor’s back, Blaise had entered the Great Hall.

He took the seat next to Draco but didn’t look at him.

“Draco, I really need to hear it.”

“Hear what?”

“I need to hear you tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“That you love me.”

That was followed by a long silence and Draco lost his appetite. He got up and left the Great Hall, unaware that his Griffindor had just left only seconds before he had.

*~*

Harry walked out into the courtyard and over to the tree he loved so much that overlooked the lake. He took a breath of air while closing his eyes. He needed to be alone at the moment. He really needed to think.

His future. His future with Ron. Was there really a future? For him or for Ron?

Harry leaned back against the tree trunk. He knew he loved Ron. He had always loved Ron from the first moment Ron smiled at him and took Harry on as a friend. It surprised Harry that Ron wasn’t afraid that his cousin might sit on him or get his gang friends to beat him up. That was how Harry fell in love with Ron. Ron didn’t mind being friends with the skinny little guy who had a cousin that might very well beat him up.

But it wasn’t the same love Ron felt and he knew it.

Ron, Ron was good to be around. Always there to support him. Always there to help Harry through anything. But Harry didn’t love him. Harry couldn’t see himself waking up every morning to Ron.

*~*

Draco walked out into the courtyard. He was looking at the ground as he walked up to the tree that overlooked the lake. He loved sitting here, one because it was such a beautiful spot and second because Harry and his friends were always by this tree.

Blaise. Blaise had been Draco’s friend for years now. Draco knew he loved Blaise. Blaise was one friend of Draco’s who wasn’t utterly stupid. That’s why he loved Blaise though. Blaise was just like him. They both would not let their fathers tell them what to do. They both had vowed never to become Death Eaters like their fathers even if it was their ‘destiny’.

When Draco arrived at the tree he noticed that it was already occupied. /When did Harry leave the Great Hall?/

“Potter.” Said Draco without hostility behind that acknowledgement.

Harry turned to see who had called him. “Malfoy.” Replied Harry who also spoke without hostility behind his word.

Draco took a seat next to Harry and held his knees to his chest.

“Why are you here Potter?”

“Just needed to do some reflecting. You?”

“Same.”

They both just sat there silently for a long time. Just thinking about life, and how it’s turned totally upside down on them in one moment.

*~*

Ron watched Harry leave from the corner of his eye and he unknowingly was still shoving food down his mouth. That’s it. He’s had enough. He had to speak to Harry privately about this.

Ron got up from his seat with his eyes stinging and his nose red as tears were trying to betray him.

*~*

Blaise put his head in his hands as he felt his Slytherin get up from the table and leave the Great Hall. Why can’t Draco just tell him that he loved him? He told Draco all the time. This wasn’t fair. He loved Draco but he needed the reassurance that Draco loved him back.

Blaise got up and followed in Draco’s steps, out the Great Hall and into the courtyard.

*~*

“Weasely.”

“Slime ball.”

“Oh, good come back Weasel.”

“That’s so old.”

Blaise rolled his eye at the idiot Griffindor who was entering the courtyard along side him.

“Why are you following me slime ball?”

“I’m not! You’re following me!”

“Am not!”

They both angrily trotted towards the tree they knew their lover favoured.

Before they reached the tree they saw two figures by it. Sitting in total silence along side one another.

“Do you think we should?” Asked Ron

“Uh, no, let’s stay back and see what happens.”

“Agreed.”

*~*

“Do you think I have a future?”

“What kind of stupid question is that Potter?”

“It’s just, I don’t know. I don’t feel like I have a future.”

“Potter, everyone has a future. Whether it’s a good one or a bad one, its still a future.”

“Yeah, I guess so but I don’t know. It’s just with the whole Voldemort thing, I felt like I never really had a future. He’s gone now, the Death Eater’s are all rounded up, I have nothing to fear but I just never looked at having a future, or really thinking about one.”

“It’s not just that is it? Is it Weasley?”

Harry didn’t answer.

“What did he do?”

“He asked if I could get a place together with him after we graduate.”

Draco’s heart felt like it had just been torn out. “What did you say?”

“I told him to wait a while. It was too early to plan anything.”

“But you’ve been together since your sixth year.”

“Yes, but I still have a lot of work to do after school. All the Auror training and he wants a job at the ministry.”

“What’s the problem?”

“The problem is he wants me to love him. And I do Malfoy. I really do love him.” At that moment Draco’s heart felt like it was stepped on. Harry might as well take a knife and stab it a few more times to make sure it was done with. “But not that way. Not the way he wants me to love him.” /Phew. Band-Aid time!/ Thought Draco.

“Why don’t you tell him then?”

“It’s not that simple Malfoy. Unlike your relationship-”

“Don’t talk about my relationship Potter. Blaise and I, we’re on the rock’s as well right now. Some crap about wanting me to tell him I love him.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Because Potter, to love someone means that you want to wake up to them every morning. It means that you want to see their face right before you fall asleep and to wake up to the same face in the morning. Right now, he loves me because he doesn’t see my faults. He thinks I’m perfect which I’m not. Love makes you blind Potter, right now he is blind and until he can see past the whole Malfoy frontier, he has never truly loved me.”

Harry looked at Draco when he made his little speech.
Harry didn’t say anything; instead he turned away from Draco and watched the lake once again.

“What? Why aren’t you saying anything Potter?”

“Because Malfoy, that’s exactly why I can’t tell Ron I love him.”

Draco took his gaze away from the Griffindor and looked out onto the lake.

The both sighed and leaned against the tree again.

“Who do you want to wake up to every morning Potter?”

Harry didn’t take his eyes off the lake until he closed his eyes and leaned his head back and smiled.

“Who? Out with it Potter.”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“But, why?”

“Because, you see past my faults. You saw past the whole Golden Boy exterior. Draco, you saw me as me.”

“Draco.”

“What?”

“You called me Draco.”

“So?”

“It sounds nice coming from you.”

“So, who do you want to wake up to every morning?”

Draco smiled into the emerald green eyes that were scanning his soul through his own eyes. Draco leaned in and kissed the Griffindor and Harry moved his hand and brought Draco closer to deepen the kiss.

*~*

Blaise and Ron saw as the two figures started talking to one another. They had also seen as the Griffindor closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree smiling about something. Then the Slytherin had tensed up and almost in the same instant the Slytherin moved in and kissed the Griffindor.

Blaise made a slight wheezing noise from deep within his throat as his legs betrayed him and he fell to the ground, eyes still on his love who was kissing someone else.

Ron’s tears finally betrayed him and they came rolling down his face like a waterfall. Ron was trying to breath, it wasn’t silent tears, the tears were furious which were streaming from his face to his chin leaving a trail of wetness eventually falling into his shirt. His heart had been broken and he was watching the one who was breaking it.

The two boys struggling against the pain in their heart. Both trying as hard as ever to stop the pain, to make it go away and to once again feel happy but itn’t n’t work. The scene before them was too much to bear.

Finally as Ron choked down his tears, never removing his eyes from the scene which caused his heart to bleed said, “It’s begun.”