Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/928633.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con,
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Drarry_-_Relationship
  Character:
      Draco_Malfoy, Harry_Potter
  Additional Tags:
      Comfort/Angst
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-08-17 Chapters: 4/? Words: 5496
****** Bruises & Embraces ******
by Raistlin_The_Wizard
Summary

A non-chronological compilation of the old love/hate situation that stroke the
hearts of two former enemies. Can this troubled relationship survive?
Notes
See the end of the work for notes
***** Shopping Blues *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Harry strolled through Diagon Alley. It had been seven years since he had first
been there after he first discovered he was a wizard. Back then, Hagrid had
been with him, showing him where to go and where to buy all the things he
needed for Hogwarts. After all this time, the feeling of amazement hadn’t faded
away; Harry still felt as the little boy he once was, wanting to see and buy
everything, enchanted by all the surrounding wonders.

Christmas was just around the corner and he was there to purchase all the gifts
he needed for his loved ones. This year he’d spend big. After all, they had
much to celebrate after having defeated Voldemort once and for all. This year
they could openly celebrate Christmas, inviting friends over with no fear of
being attacked at any moment or having to wonder whether someone was under the
Imperius Curse.

Harry stopped outside Amanuensis Quills. The shop window had an array of
several very interesting quills and inks. Harry got inside the shop and was
overwhelmed by the thousands of quills stacked in the walls. There were quills
made of Phoenix feathers, Hippogriffs feathers, Augurey feathers, Eagles, Owls
and every other bird imaginable. He spotted the infamous quick-quill notes used
by Rita Skeeter and twisted his nose. On the opposite wall of the shop there
were thousands of ink bottles, from tiny ones to some as big as bowling balls.

“Excuse me, young sir, may I be of assistance?”

Harry turned to face a middle-aged wizard with ink stains all over his sleeves
and hands. He was about to say what he wanted when the man’s eyebrows shot into
this forehead in delight.
“Harry Potter! What a great honour, sir! Please, feel free to pick anything you
want, it’s on the house, sir! Bless your soul!”
Ever since the Voldemort's defeat, people were even more enthusiastic at the
sight of him; more than when he had defeated the dark wizard when he was young.

“No need for that, please. I’m looking for something special to give my friend,
Hermione Granger. She’s a brilliant witch, top of our class, and she’s always
in need of good quills. What do you recommend?”
“I have the perfect gift, sir! Come, take a look.”
Harry followed him to the counter. The man dropped out of sight and returned
with an engraved golden rectangular box. The golden embossing on the outside
depicted a Phoenix soaring into the sky, leaving a trail of fire underneath.
“This is every scholar’s dream.”
Opening the box, he took a long Phoenix feather. Harry didn’t know much about
quills, but it was obvious that was no ordinary quill. It had a magical glow
about it, and it gave a sense of power to the beholder. It had been dyed a
rich, deep purple.

“That is stunning!”

“Wait, good sir, there’s more.”
He opened the box completely and Harry could see six more feathers just like
that inside. All had a different colour.
“Each colour represents a different strength. Take this purple one for example.
If you’re writing a very important paper, this will help you not only to write
with no errors, but it will empower your words with a sense of importance. It
is used, for example, by the Ministry to write decrees, so that when the people
read it, they know that it's an official document and that it must be complied
with.”
“This is just perfect! I’ll take it. How much does it cost?”

The Amanuensis gave him a big smile and started to wrap the box.
“As I said before, for you it’s free. A small token of appreciation for all
you’ve done, sir.”

“I can’t take it. This is too valuable to give away.”
“I won’t accept a refusal. Here you go, all wrapped up. Have a very Merry
Christmas, Harry Potter!”
And with that he left to the back of the shop to resume his writing works,
leaving an embarrassed Harry standing at the counter. Harry waited a few
moments, but when it was clear the man wasn’t coming back he dropped one
Galleon on the counter and left the shop.

The quills shop was right next to Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. Harry
decided to stop by to get new robes, since he was redoing his seventh year at
Hogwarts and his robes of two years ago were now too small for him. Even though
Madam Malkin had seen Harry before and was a little more low profile than the
Amanuensis, she also insisted that Harry left with the new robes free of charge
and became very angry when Harry tried to pay anyway.

Harry decided he needed a break from shopping, so he headed towards the Leaky
Cauldron to get a drink. That also happened to be where he had agreed to meet
Ron and Hermione. They had decided to split so they could buy each other’s
gifts. Tom greeted Harry eagerly. Harry asked for a Butterbeer and sat in a
dark corner. All of that worshipping was leaving him grumpy. What he wanted
more than anything was to have a normal life, and while people kept treating
him as hero he’d never be able to get that.

After an hour and a half, a flustered Hermione entered the pub carrying several
bags. She spotted Harry and headed towards the table, dropping the bags in a
nearby chair.

“Hi, Harry. How did your shopping go?”
Harry gestured towards his only two bags.
“Not well. People kept offering me things; they won’t let me buy anything. I
got fed up so I came here. So far I only got yours.”

“Oh, Harry. It’s still too fresh in people’s minds. I know you don’t like to
draw attention to yourself, but you need to woo people for a bit. Eventually
the interest will fade way. They had so little to celebrate last year; let them
thank you in the way they know.”
A shadow crossed Harry’s face.
“I know that. It’s just that with Voldemort gone--” A witch sitting at the next
table let her glass fall and break at the mention of the Dark Lord’s name,
implying she had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Harry tried to breathe
in deeply and keep his temper down. “As I was saying, with Voldemort gone--”
The witch let out a small gasp, making Harry lose it.

“Excuse me, madam, is there something bothering you? Do you want me to stop
saying Voldemort? Is the word Voldermort hurting you? I faced him, he’s not
that big of a deal, old pal VOLDEMORT!”
The witch turned a sickly pale green and left the bar running, clutching her
hand to her heart as if it’d jump right out of her chest.

“Harry! That wasn’t nice! People are still afraid. You should be more
thoughtful.”
“I should be more thoughtful? It’s her fault for eavesdropping on somebody
else’s conversation. When will this be over, huh? When will I be able to walk
the streets without being stopped a dozen of times to shake hands? When will I
be able to buy something without it being shoved down my throat? Hang out with
my friends anonymous, unknown, normal!”

Hermione bit her lip.

“I’m sorry Harry, but to a certain extent I don’t think that will ever happen.
You changed the lives of everyone when you defeated him. Your name is part of
History. You won’t ever be able to escape that. Just try to handle it the best
as you can. We’re here for you, Ron and I.”
Hermione suddenly blushed before asking.

“How are you doing, anyway? After… you know what…”
Harry’s face became even more sullen. He definitely didn’t want to talk about
that. But before he was forced to answer, Ron arrived holding only one bag.

“Hey, guys. What’s up?”
“Ron, why do you have only one bag?!”

Ron’s face became redder than Hermione’s shirt.
“Well… you see… I was out there shopping, but then I got in Broomstix and they
were having this autograph session with Chuddley Cannon members. Of course I
couldn’t miss it, so I bought a calendar and had them sign it. By the time I
was done, it was getting late so I just came back here.”
“Well done, Ron, brilliant. Now we’ll have to spend tomorrow in Hogsmeade for
you to buy the rest of your stuff!”
Ron was cowering under Hermione’s rant, but the scene only made Harry’s heart
twist. Overwhelmed by a sudden sense of longing, he got up.
 “I’m sorry guys; there’s something I need to do before going back to Hogwarts.
I will see you back at school.”

Harry got out of the Leaky Cauldron, leaving Ron and Hermione to bicker about
the merits of Quidditch merchandize. It was still early afternoon, so he had
plenty of time before having to return back to Hogwarts. Deciding on a
destination, he turned on the spot and Disapparated with a loud crack.
Chapter End Notes
     AN: I guess you could say this is the first chapter of this
     compilation, but who knows, I might decide to come up with something
     even earlier in time... I hope you people don't get too confused with
     the time-line jumps.
***** Graveyard Showdown *****
Harry was so distracted that when he finally Apparated, he landed wrongly and
slipped on the wet snow that covered the ground. He threw his hand to cushion
the blow, which resulted in more than a few ice burns. Cursing himself
mentally, the pain on his hand was nothing compared to the pain on his heart.
Hermione had tried to get him to talk about it, but he didn’t want to. It still
hurt too much.

Suddenly, without being able to avoid it, the image of Ginny snogging Neville
behind Greenhouse 3 haunted his mind. The shock had been such that Harry had
frozen, unable to say anything or look away while Neville’s hand caressed
Ginny’s breasts, making her moan with pleasure. She was letting him get further
than she had ever allowed Harry. Ginny was halfway undressed when she finally
saw Harry.
“Harry!”

“He’s not here, babe… don’t stop… what’s wr… Harry!”
Neville had finally seen Harry too and tried to quickly pull his trousers up,
ending up falling on the dirt. Harry’s rage was now boiling up. Ginny started
to dress herself.
“Harry, please, let me explain…”

“Explain what? That you’re a WHORE?! How could you! And you?! I thought you
were my friend!”
“Harry, it’s not like that… we didn’t plan for it to happen… but you were away
all of that time… things happen and…”

Neville didn’t have time to finish his sentence, for Harry had shot him with a
spell that left him unconscious. Ginny dived to see if Neville was okay, which
only infuriated Harry even more, so he stormed off.

That had happened right at the beginning of the term and Harry still fumed
every time he thought about it. His girlfriend and one of his good… ex-good
friends. What made things worse was that he had to share the dormitory with
Neville. There was always this awkward silence when the two of them were in the
same place. Most people stood by Harry’s side, saying he was right to be angry
and pissed off. Still, Neville had impressed a lot of people during the last
year at Hogwarts. He stood up to the Death Eaters and helped a lot of the
students, who now held him in high regard. Therefore, people were torn on how
to act and which side to actually take. Harry had almost stopped talking to
Hermione when he found out she was still in good terms with Neville. She had
explained that she understood that what Ginny and Neville did had been wrong
only because they hid it. She believed they were truly in love and, therefore,
couldn’t blame them for that.

“Love… that slut is not capable of love… I should have known… first she’s
supposedly in love with me all of those years and suddenly starts dating all of
those guys… and then falls into my arms again when I allow it… cunt!”

Unconsciously, Harry had walked to the front gate of Godric’s Hollow cemetery.
In the last few months, since the end of the war, he had been coming there
every time he could. He knew Hermione worried about him spending too much time
there, but he didn’t care. In that place he felt peace. Besides, his guilt for
having survived had only increased with time and he felt he owed it to the dead
to go there as much as possible and pay tribute.

He opened the gates, which creaked like a complaining old lady and headed
towards the first stop in his tour. By now he knew the paths there better than
the lines on his own hands. He soon arrived at his parents’ grave. The snow had
covered the flowers he had brought last time. He dug them up and replaced them
with a beautiful wreath, very similar to the one Hermione had conjured last
year.

“I wish there was a way to bring you back. I wish I could just go back in time,
save you and have the childhood I always wanted. To grow up in the magical
world. To ride a play broomstick around the house. To befriend other magical
kids. To be held by you.”
Harry stood there for a few more moments before heading towards the next grave.
Unlike his parents’ grave, this one had a very recent look to it. The
engravings on it were still very fresh.
                     Here lies Nymphadora and Remus Lupin
                               Beloved Parents.
                               – 2nd May 1998 –
  “I’m sorry, so sorry. It shouldn’t have ended like this. You should be here
 for Teddy. I don’t know how I am going to face him when he’s older. How I am
 going to explain how you both died while I lived. You shouldn’t have made me
                      his godfather. I don’t deserve it.”

Tears streaked down Harry’s cheeks as he talked and conjured another wreath to
 place on the fallen lovers’ grave. He was about to go to Sirius’s grave when
something caught his attention. The sun was shining on a platinum blonde boy a
few graves to the left. Of all the persons in the world that Harry did not want
to see right now, Draco was probably top of the list. However, he was intrigued
by Draco's presence there, so he wiped his tears and marched towards his sworn
enemy. Well, once sworn enemy. After Voldemort's death there had been some kind
of truce between them. Draco now lay low around the school, and he didn’t mock
 Harry at every chance he got. He had been one of the few Slytherins to return
           to Hogwarts; therefore, he spent most of this time alone.

   Draco heard Harry’s steps and looked up. He quickly turned his face away,
 trying to hide the tears. That shocked Harry. He had been prepared to have a
      verbal fight with the Slytherin young man, but the sight of Draco’s
                   vulnerability took the words out of him.

             “What do you want, Potter? Come to gloat a bit more?”

Draco waited for Harry to reply, but when Harry didn’t, he just strutted away.
Harry stood a few seconds there, motionless. Finally he went to see which grave
                              had made Draco cry.
                           Here lies Vincent Crabbe,
                                 Beloved Son.
                               – 2nd May 1998 –
Harry felt like a jerk. Truth was, Draco had lost a lot with the war too,
including one of his best friends. Harry had never considered that. He decided
to chase after Draco and caught up with him at the gates.
“Hey, Draco, wait!”

“Finally found your tongue, Potter? What is it?”

Grief and pain crossed the pallid boy’s face. Feelings Harry recognized all too
well.

“I… I just wanted to say I’m sorry for your loss. Crabbe I mean.”

“Yeah? And what do you care?”
“I just know what it feels like, that’s all.”

“Really? Last time I checked, Granger and Weasley were alive and well. How
could you possibly understand, Potter?”

Draco was now face to face with Harry and once again he was at loss for words.

“When that filthy Mudblood and pest of Wealsey die, you let me know how you
feel.”
Rage took over Harry and he just punched Draco, who punched him back. The two
latched onto each other and rolled on the floor trying to hit one another
between insults and curses.
“Don’t you ever…”

“Shut up, Potter…”
“You damn idiot. I was trying to be nice…”
“I don’t need you to be nice…”
“Yes, you do. You’re all alone…”
“SHUT UP, POTTER!”

“Does the truth hurt…”

“I SAID, SHUT UP!”

“Or what?”
Draco finally managed to shut up Harry by kissing him. There was so much
hatred, so much anger, so much passion, so many feelings invested in that kiss
that Harry didn’t even had time to process it. Next thing he knew, he was
retuning the kiss and now they were both sharing their tongues, exploring each
other with a passion and fierceness that was almost painful.

They rolled over so that Draco was now on top of Harry, pressuring his
midsection against Harry’s pelvic region. Harry could feel Draco’s hardness
under the trousers and noted with surprise that he had a hard-on too. Draco
grabbed Harry arms and pinned them over this head in a strong and dominating
movement, making Harry release a hoarse moan. Whether it was of pleasure or
pain, Harry did not know. He couldn’t sort out his feelings. Draco kept kissing
him and all he could think of was that he wanted to be consumed by all that
fire, forget everything and just let go.

Then suddenly Draco pulled away and Harry was left in the ground barely
breathing, the absence of the body pressing against his as painful as its
presence had been. Draco was looking at him and Harry could see that he was as
surprised and confused as Harry. Before there was a chance to say anything,
Draco turned away and ran. Harry couldn’t do anything to stop him; he just lay
there on the floor. The snow beneath had melted under the heat of his body and
was now soaking his clothes, leaving him wet and cold.

After a long time, Harry finally got up and started making his way back to
Hogwarts.
***** Enemies, Lovers *****
Harry was tossing and turning in his canopy bed. He couldn’t shut off his mind.
What had happened still bedazzled him. How could he have kissed Malfoy?!
Malfoy! Of all the people in the world. They had hated each other ever since
they first met. But the taste of his kiss still lingered in Harry’s mouth. The
more he recalled the moment, the more details he noticed, like the softness of
Draco’s lips, or the strength of his grip when he grabbed Harry’s arms. And
every time Harry thought of that moment, he felt a desire like nothing before.
“This time you totally lost it Harry. Seven years fighting for your life
finally took a toll on you. You must be brain damaged.”
As the hours dragged on, Harry’s hard-on wouldn’t come down. He tried to
release the tension by looking at a girl’s magazine, but somehow it wasn’t
working. Finally he cave in and allowed himself to imagine what it would have
been like to give himself completely to Draco. By the time he finished, the
explosion of pleasure was so intense that he bit himself till blood came out,
trying to prevent a scream of ecstasy from coming out. Bleeding but exhausted
in a good way, he finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Harry woke up late to find the dormitory already empty. He
got himself dressed and got down to the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron were
already finishing their breakfast. Draco was nowhere to be seen.

“Morning,” said Harry, gulping a bowl of cereals.

“Morning. You look different.” Hermione was looking at him with an inquisitive
look.
“What do you mean?”

Harry’s heart was thumping. Could she know something? No, that’d be impossible,
he was being paranoid.
“I don’t know… it’s like a shadow lifted off you… it’s actually good.”

“Hermione, I thought you were not into that kind of divination stuff.”

Hermione was about to answer back, but Ron kept talking.
“Anyway, where were you last night? I didn’t see you come in.”

Harry mumbled something with his mouth full and changed the subject.

“Ron, don’t you need to go to Hogsmeade today? I need to go as well, still got
a lot of presents to buy.”
“Let’s all go together then. I got all I needed, but I can check Tomes and
Scrolls for new books.” Hermione interrupted.
“New books? What for?! You have the whole library of Hogwarts at your disposal;
what other books could you need?!”
Hermione just rolled her eyes and left the table.

“Seriously? Why would she need new books?” Ron insisted.

“Let it go, mate. Let’s just go to Hogsmeade and finish all the Christmas
shopping.”
Once they got to Hogsmeade, they parted ways as they had done in Diagon Alley.
Harry headed towards Spintwitches, the local sporting goods shop, to find a
present for Ron. The store looked very small from the outside, but when Harry
got inside, it extended far beyond what it should. Harry guessed that some
things were just bigger on the inside.

There were so many things there whose uses Harry did not know, that he was
reminded of how little he still knew about the Wizard World. Clearly there were
as many sports as in the Muggle World. He headed towards the Quidditch section,
since that was something he knew almost all about.
“Good morning, sir. May I be of assistance?”
A young man, no more than twenty-two years old, dressed in red robes with a pin
saying “Oswald Sergei” stood on Harry’s right, having appeared so suddenly that
Harry dropped the broom he had been holding.

“Sorry about that,” he said as Oswald picked up the broom and placed it
carefully in its place. “Do you happen to have any Chuddley Cannons goods? My
best friend is a fan and I’m looking for something special to give him this
Christmas.”

If Oswald knew who Harry was, he gave no sign and treated him with
indifference. Harry found it refreshing.

“Certainly, sir.”
Grabbing a nearby ladder, the young man climbed four steps and took down a
small square box and gave it to Harry to open.

“Oh. This is actually pretty good!”
Inside, resting on black velvet, were orange dragon skin gloves embroidered
with the Chuddley Cannons logo. The quality was undeniable. Harry put them on
to test them and they were both flexible and incredibly strong.

“They’re actually perfect for Keepers, sir. The skin will protect against rash
or sudden blows from stopping the Quaffle from getting in the goalposts.”
“Funny, my friend is indeed a Keeper. This is perfect, then.”

“I’m glad I was of service. You can pay at the counter. It’s 10 galleons.”
Harry’s eyes widened. That was very expensive, but since he had saved up so
much with Hermione’s present he decided to take it. Ten minutes later and with
his wallet a lot lighter, Harry was again out in the streets. The others would
still be busy, so he decided to walk around for a bit. Somehow he ended up near
the path that led to the Shrieking Shack. He was about to turn back when he
spotted a lonely figure up at the top. His heart started beating fast. It was
Draco Malfoy. Harry went after him. He was halfway through when Draco saw him.
They exchanged looks for a brief moment and then Draco ran away. Harry followed
him.

“Go away, Potter!”

Draco vanished inside the Shrieking Shack and this time, without hesitation,
Harry followed. He heard steps upstairs so he went to the first floor. A door
stood ajar, still moving. Harry got in the room. Draco was sitting on the bed,
bent over, with his head between his hands.
“I said, go away. Leave me alone.”
His voice was shaking. Harry knew not if in anger or something else. Something
like what he might be feeling. Anticipation.
“We need to talk about the other day.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“I think there is. You kissed me. Why?”

“I did no such thing. Are you calling me a faggot?”

“Are you?”
Draco jumped out of bed, ready to lunge himself at Harry, but this time the Boy
Who Lived was ready, and, using his quick reflexes, dodged and pinned Draco
against the wall. The blonde boy’s perfume filled Harry’s nostrils, a mix of an
expensive odour mingled with the sweat of the sprint towards the shackle. Harry
found it strangely exciting.
“Let me go, Potter! I’ll kill you!”

“No, you won’t. Stop struggling! You had the chance before and you didn’t. You
won’t do it now.”
Draco managed to free himself and grabbed Harry, now pinning him to the wall.
Harry could feel Draco’s hardness pressing against him, so Harry teased him.
“I guess your mind is not keeping up with your body… for someone who says they
are not a faggot.”
Draco turned Harry around and kissed him. This time Harry lost no time and
kissed him back. The relief and the freedom he felt were nothing like he had
ever experienced. It felt right. For the first time he felt right, in the right
place, doing the right thing.

Draco threw Harry into the bed, and the Gryffindor spread his legs so Draco
could fit perfectly into his body. Draco grabbed Harry's shirt and ripped it
off, kissing Harry again while rubbing his nipples. Harry, however, could not
wait; he needed Draco inside him and he needed it right away. He took out his
own pants and boxers and turned on his back.

“Please, fuck me.”

Without a word, Draco yanked Harry’s hair and thrust himself inside Harry’s
body, who screamed both in pleasure and pain. In a rhythmic and passionate
motion, the former enemies, now lovers, released all of the tension, all of the
pain in those frantic moments, both losing themselves in each other’s body.
As they were both laying on the bed, exhausted from the effort of consuming
each other, neither knew what to say or what to do. Neither could understand
what was compelling them to one another. Draco prepared to get out of bed but
Harry grabbed his hand.

“Please, stay. Don’t go.”

The vulnerability in Harry’s pleading voice eclipsed the sarcastic words Draco
was preparing. Instead he found himself being dragged to bed and letting
himself being held in Harry’s embrace. They stood there in each other’s arms
for hours. Not talking. Just feeling each other’s body.
When night was finally approaching, they knew they couldn’t stay any longer;
they needed to go back to the school. However, the thought of leaving each
other was painful. What if it had been a one-time thing? What if the other
would never look him in the eye again?

They dressed back to back, without facing each other. Finally, at the door they
kissed again. This time more softly, more tenderly, more lovingly.

“Will…” Harry started.

“Shhh…” said Draco, silencing Harry with a kiss, before leaving with a new
sparkle in his eyes, which left Harry hoping. Hoping that maybe there was
something more. Maybe this Christmas he would be getting what he wanted.

“And all I want is you…” he whispered, before leaving as well.
***** Silent Valentine *****
 
 Harry woke up suddenly, startled by a nightmare. Unfortunately for him, Harry
   had an uncanny ability to remember his dreams and nightmares, and all the
  mental exercises he had underwent to become an Auror had only enhanced that
  skill. Tonight he dreamed that Umbridge had successfully implemented a new
 Educational Degree forbidding any inter-houses romantic relationships. He had
  been so mad it took him a while to realize that not only had Umbridge left
Hogwarts ten years ago, that he himself was an adult out of Hogwarts for nearly
                                 as much time.
                       "That old toad still plagues me…"
Brushing his hand through the place next to him in bed he found it empty. That
startled Harry for a second time in a short time span. Looking around he saw no
               traces of the person he had spent the night with.
                  That shouldn't surprise me, he never stays…
Shrugging off he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Harry was about to
 grab his toothbrush when he noticed a rose petal carelessly dropped near the
sink. He reached for the petal, it was still fresh and soft to the touch with a
 deep dark red shade. He got out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen fast
             paced. The calendar on the wall confirmed his fears.
                                  "Oh, fuck."
 It was February fourteenth, Valentine's. Dread was quickly replaced by panic,
 he hadn't gotten anything to give. Getting any decent Valentine's gift today
would be hell and nearly impossible, everything would be sold out, not mention
of the lameness of having forgotten to buy something. Cursing himself a million
 times under his breath he was midway of throwing a sweater over his shoulders
           when a low tap noise on the window caught his attention.
                         "Just kill me now, will you."
 Three owls were perched outside with big, bright envelops under their beaks.
 Opening the window, Harry let them in. They flew a little bit around his head
 before dropping the three envelops on the bed and then flew right away again
 out of the window. Looking at them getting away gave Harry a pang feeling in
 his stomach. He still missed Hedwig, so much he hadn't had the courage to get
another Owl ever since. Harry grabbed the first envelop. It had Hermione's neat
     and precise handwriting in black against a regular parchment colored
                                  background.
                                  "Dear Harry,
I hope you are doing well. I miss you, we haven't seen each other much lately.
I know you must be busy with your Auror work. I can't say I have very much free
time either, all this Ministry work is very demanding. Anyway, I just wanted to
                         wish you a Happy Valentine's.
                                     Love,
                                   Hermione.
   P.S. – Do you think this is the year Ron finally gets me something nice?"
That put a smile on Harry's lips. It was true tough, he hadn't seen Hermione
and Ron much lately, though it was more about the tension it always occurred
when they met than work itself. They still didn't approve of his dating choice.
Could you say dating when it had been nearly ten years since they started going
out? However, they had never passed the dating phase, each one had their
apartments and neither spend too much time at each other's place. Trying not to
think too much about that, Harry grabbed the second envelop. The contrast of
Ron's handwriting with Hermione's was shocking. Ron's was all scrawny and
irregular.
                                     "Harry,
  I'm worried. I got Hermione a bouquet flowers enchanted with an everlasting
 spell so she can keep them forever in her office. However, I might have done
 something wrong, they don't smell right... I don't' have time to get anything
                     else now. Do you think she'll be mad?
                                Miss you, mate.
                                     Ron"
Harry let out a long laughter. That was so typical of Ron's which made him miss
him even more and guilty, he hadn't written anything to them either. He needed
to do something about that situation soon. But not today. Today he had to find
a gift and save his relationship. Grabbing the third envelop his heart skipped
a beat. He knew that handwriting all too well. Not too messy but not neat
either, a nice mix of poise and scruffiness, much like the owner. The letters
were embossed in a silverfish gold color in a dark green parchment.
                             "Good morning Scarface,

 I know you didn't get me anything for Valentine's, therefore I know you won't
 mind me getting something for myself in Diagon Alley and put it in your bill.
 Of course I'll still have to punish you later on tonighthard. I hope you like
my gift to you, it's inside the envelop. Now the lads can stop eyeing you with
malicious intents and start looking at you with jealousy, for now they will now
                                 you aremine.
                                     Love,
                                    Draco"
In the hurry to find out what was inside the envelop, Harry almost let it drop,
but his seeker instincts allowed him to grab it way before it hit the floor.
When he opened his hand he was holding an exquisite silver ring. It had a snake
and a lion joined together in a loving embrace, yet the snake was strangling
one of the lion's paws with its tail and the lion had another paw scratching he
snake's skin. It symbolized perfectly their relationship. It was with a light
heart that Harry left the house to go buy a gift.
All would be well.
End Notes
     This is my second attempt to write something Drarry (the first
     attempt will be posted after, even though chronologically takes place
     before this chapter). Any out of character behaviour is purely
     intentional, this is how I envisioned a possible Drarry relationship
     and for that to happen, both Harry and Draco would have to change
     some things.
     The graphic at the top was created by me as well
     -Raistlin
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