BLIND SIGHT - drarry

Ch. twentytwo

Every step he took felt heavier but he forced himself to keep going, out of the apartment, the elevator, the building, until he found himself standing on the sidewalk outside at a loss.

Where did he go next?

He knew where Draco was now, so there was no need to search for him anymore. And he presented his case to the blond, so he had nothing left to argue with. His legs shaking as the force of what had just happened rushed through him, Harry staggered over to the cement wall that bordered the garden and collapsed onto it, bracing his elbows on his knees so he could plant his face in his hands.

He sat there for long moments as the sun beat down on the back of his neck. Part of him thought Draco might come running after him and he wanted to wait so the other man could find him. But the larger and more realistic part of him knew that wouldn't happen. Draco had sacrificed a great deal of his pride to be with Harry, to fight for the light side of the war, but this was over and above what the blond could be expected to accept.

"Are you okay?"

Harry heard the voice but he didn't recognize it so he ignored it.

"Hey. Are you- Are you okay?"

Harry flinched away as the warm weight of a hand settled on his shoulder. He didn't want sympathy from a stranger.

"Are you lost? Maybe I can help you."

Harry looked up at the man and forced a smile. "I'm sorry. I'm not lost, I'm fine. But thank you for asking."

The stranger didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything further, instead turning towards the door of the building and pulling out a cell phone.

Harry put his head down again, this time trying to clear his thoughts away from Draco and he events upstairs. He wanted the blond back, but he had done all he could. It was Draco's move now.

"Chas? It's me, Deacon. Are you guys ready to go?"

Harry listened without meaning to. The dark tones of the man's voice ran over the soft hum of traffic and passing pedestrians. And the name Deacon sounded so familiar...

Harry looked up and when he saw that the man was looking at the door and paying him no attention, he took the time to study him. Short, but thickly muscled, and his skin was much darker than any Harry had seen before in person. Darker than Lee Jordan or Blaise Zabini, it was a shining ebony and seemed to absorb the sunlight. Thick dreadlocks trailed in stark contrast to a pale blue flowered shirt.

Harry saw the man shift and turned away again, not wanting to be caught looking, not sure why he felt embarrassed.

"Hey Deacon."

Charlie's voice came from behind him and Harry turned sharply to see the red headed man exit the building and walk towards the stranger, Deacon. Charlie was smiling and Harry saw a light pink tint to his cheeks that made him smile.

The two men embraced lightly, though for perhaps a second longer than necessary and then pulled back.

Harry turned away sharply and kept his gaze firmly aimed at the building across the street, hoping Charlie hadn't seen him, but he strained his ears to hear what they were talking about.

"Isn't David coming," Deacon asked.

Harry tensed. David? Could they mean Draco?

"I'm afraid not. That attack still has him spooked. I thought I could get him out of the house with us but he's just not feeling up to i—" When the red head cut himself off, Harry knew he had been spotted. "Harry? What are you doing out here?"

Harry shook his head, not turning around. "I'm leaving. I just- I can't leave just yet, but I will."

"What's going on," Deacon asked.

"Sorry Deacon, I can't really discuss it. It's D's business," Charlie replied.

Harry heard shoes scuffing along the pavement before Charlie was standing next to him. A firm hand on his chin forced Harry to look up into painfully sympathetic blue eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Harry pulled his chin away, torn between shaking his head and nodding. He wasn't really sure if he was all right, but Charlie had gone above and beyond to help and he didn't need to be dragged any further into Harry's problems. "I'm okay. You go on, you have a date right," Harry asked, looking from Charlie to Deacon.

A pale pink blush highlighted the freckles on the red heads face as he smiled and stepped back. Charlie still looked concerned, but he nodded. "Okay. If you say you're fine I choose to believe you. Given your record I'm probably an idiot for believing you," Charlie said and Harry felt a hot flush rise in his cheeks, "but I do. Find a hotel, get some rest, go see the ocean. I talked to Draco and I have your information. Give him a little bit of time."

Harry nodded, "I can give him time. I just wish I had some idea of what that time might bring."

Charlie opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then he shut it tightly. Harry wanted to ask him what he was going to say, but before he had the chance the other man had come up and tucked his hand into the crook of Charlie's elbow. Charlie turned and, seeing the dark-skinned fingers pressed against the fabric of his shirt, blushed a violent shade of red.

When he looked back at Harry, Harry could see that all trace of concern or worry was wiped away by the kind of lustful confusion Harry remembered seeing in his own eyes when he first got together with Draco.

"Is everything okay here, Chas?"

Harry smiled as he watched Charlie try to reply. "I, um. Harry here, and D-David... It's, you know, relationship stuff and..."

The red head trailed off and Harry took pity on him. "I'm the ex-boyfriend. Not Charlie's I mean. Dr- David's ex. I want to get back together but I don't know if he's interested. Things are kind of... iffy, right now."

Deacon let go of Charlie and Harry saw the other man's blush fade with the loss of contact as Deacon moved over to sit on the wall next to Harry.

"I'm not sure what my place is in all of this," Deacon said. "I've only known Chas for a few days, and David for a few months, but maybe an outsider's perspective would help?"

Harry paused for a moment and thought about it. He knew he must look pretty miserable if a complete stranger was offering advice, but at this point what did he have to lose?

"Go ahead. Maybe it would help."

Charlie stepped forward. "Deacon we have reservations." His voice was flat but there was a note of pleading. Harry felt momentarily bad about interrupting Charlie's date. Deacon looked from Harry to Charlie and Harry could see the indecision in his eyes so he decided to ease it.

"It's okay. I have to find a hotel, you guys go on your date." Harry stood up and reached back to brush the dirt from the fence off of the back of his pants. He froze as he felt Deacon's hand settle on his shoulder.

"Look, like I said, I don't know the situation, but if you love him and if you think there's a chance, and if he's worth it, you can't give up. That's all I'm going to say." Deacon took his hand off of Harry's shoulder and moved back to Charlie's side. Charlie grasped his hand and Harry smiled t the sight of their intertwined fingers, his heart feeling a bit lighter.

"Harry," Charlie said, "You might want to write him a letter or something, say what you need to say, get it off of your chest."

Harry nodded at his friend, then watched as he and Deacon turned and walked away down the street. Harry looked back at the building, trying to spot Draco's balcony.

"Maybe I can..." he mumbled to himself, before pushing his hands into his pockets and walking toward the curb. he was going to follow both Charlie and Deacon's advice. He was going to find a hotel, then go to the beach. And then he had a letter to write.

He knew exactly how it would begin.

Dear Draco,

I'm afraid of the dark.