snakes and lions

Chapter 12

Harry gasped lungfuls of air and looked around the room, engulfed in a sense of fear. He was alive. He frantically searched the bedroom for Draco, and realised that, he too, was awake.

"You had a nightmare," he murmured softly. "It's okay. You're okay."

Relief flooded through Harry and he started to calm down. Then he realised. Hermione. Ron. The Weasleys. Were they alive? Were they okay? Panic rushed through him again. He couldn't breath. The images he saw- they could be his future. Some were his past, but he never knew, the events which he had encountered in his dreams could happen in real life. And they could happen soon. He tried to take short gulps of air, but he couldn't. What if everyone was dead? It was all his fault. Everything. Everyone that ever died. They died for him. It was his fault. It was because of him. Fear closed over him. The walls were getting smaller. He tried the breathing technique that Hermione taught him if he ever had another panic attack. In for 4, out for 7. But thinking of Hermione just made him more anxious. Everything was closing in. . .

A warm hand was placed on Harry's shoulder and all of a sudden, the bubble of panic that had consumed him started to deflate.
"It's okay. Try to calm down," Draco said soothingly. His voice acted like a comforting blanket around Harry.

Harry felt the bed dip slightly when the Slytherin lifted the edge of the red duvet and climbed in, right next to the Gryffindor. He started stroking Harry's raven black hair softly, and he recognised the feeling from his dream. They laid back down together and he placed a protective arm around Harry. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks, but Draco kissed them away softly. Harry sobbed quietly into his neck and Draco's slim fingers tickled the back of Harry's. He pulled him closer and they stayed locked in embrace for minutes. Hours. Weeks. Years. Harry couldn't tell. All he knew was that it felt right. Righter than anything he had ever done in his life. Something clicked between them. They belonged together. And only now, with Draco's arm wrapped tight around him like a barrier between him and his nightmares, did Harry realise how much he had fallen for the boy.

When they finally pulled apart slightly, Harry had stopped crying. They leaned in closer together, and Draco pressed his lips against Harry's. They were softer than he expected. And warm. And gentle. He held his breath - heart pounding. Frozen in time. Together.

Harry realised how similar they were. Yet so different. He could have easily gone down the same route as the Slytherin. Could have ended up bad like Voldemort. But he didn't. He got placed into the house of Godric Gryffindor, and Draco became his enemy for years. But they were like the two sides of the same coin. They were forced into things they didn't necessarily want to do. They weren't always given a choice.

Their lips parted and Draco pressed his against Harry's forehead, neck, shoulder, cheek, and back to his lips. He slipped his hand down Harry's arm and gently wrapped it around his. He used his other hand to cup Harry's face, touch his skin, feel his warmth. It was like they melted into eachother. Draco tucked a stray piece of dark hair behind Harry's ear, and pressed his forehead against his.

They both opened their eyes to look at eachother for the first time since the night before. They locked eyes and Harry realised how love stricken Draco looked. He shuffled in closer and pressed his head against the Slytherin's chest and felt the heart inside it beating calmly. Draco kissed the top of Harry's head again - one arm round his shoulder and one holding his hand.

They stayed lying down in a tight embrace, unable to let go of eachother. And at that moment, when they were finally together, Harry realised what the last smell in the Amortentia potion was. Slowly, he fell into the calmest sleep he had had all year. . .

THE END