the happy ending [DISCONTINUED]

chapter sixteen

"Hm.. I could pay rent and maybe you can just work on saving money. You're probably home more often with your workload so maybe you call look for something to do on the side." Harry kisses Draco soothingly on his face after every 2 or 3 words. It was true that Draco mostly marked tests and exam papers to avoid bias, he also helped take over classes when the teacher wasn't there but otherwise he was mostly at home reviewing material that the teachers needed for their classes.

"Sounds good?" Harry chimes in again, a little more urgently this time. Harry got nervous whenever he didn't get a reaction. Draco tends to shut down whenever he begins to feel overwhelmed or emotional, and whenever it got to that point, it would only get worse.

Draco nodded as he blinked a few times before giving Harry a kiss.

"I love you." Draco whispered softly. "I love you too." Harry replies.

The two made their way to the crowded town center, smog suffocating Draco's sense once more. They navigate their way through the ocean of people rushing around in every direction before finally, running through the 9¾ platform.

"Good Merlin, how do you guys survive?" Draco inhales the crisp, fresh air once more. Harry chuckles, patting Draco's back comfortingly.

Out of the blue, Pansy flashed through Draco's mind and a sense of guilt filled his stomach. He didn't owe her anything and it was the right thing to do. Pansy would be doing better in the muggle world as well, she looks much happier and she will eventually learn to love someone new.

"You alright, Malfoy?" Harry peers into Draco's face, clearly concerned.

"Oh, yes. Well, why wouldn't I be?" Draco immediately brushes it off. This will be the last time he'll ever see Pansy again anyways. It was a nice vacation, but he doesn't think they'll be coming back.

The train ride was anticlimatic. Draco just peered out of the window, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. Although what Harry said was extremely heartwarming and cute, ideal even, it didn't seem quite realistic. There were many small petty reasons Draco could list off why it didn't seem realistic, but it would sound like he's making excuses if he brought them up to Harry and that's the last kind of impression he wanted to make. Times like this is when Draco hated relationships. It was so hard to navigate and communicate without fearing making the wrong impression. No matter how well you word something, people will always take in what they want to, however they want to.

"I'm going to the toilet and getting some tea too. You want anything?" Harry asks, tapping Draco on the arm. He shakes his head, meekly meeting Harry's hazel eyes. Harry knew that something was bothering his partner, like Hell he wouldn't. But it wasn't the right time to press about it. "Alright then, I'll be back quickly." Harry leans in to give Draco a kiss on his forehead before heading out of their little room.

Draco returns to solemnly staring out the window. The vast field of grass sort of gave him comfort, it was like a visual representation of time. He only knew of what met his eyes, but beyond that he knew nothing and won't know until he got there. Baby steps, Draco reminded himself. He might not be able to change the past but he can work towards shaping his future into something more desirable. Being an Auror seemed like too much legal work now, and he was rather good at marking tests and memorizing curriculum. Perhaps..?

"I know you said you didn't want anything but I got you a cup of tea and some biscuits. You hadn't eaten anything since before departure so I figured you might like something. I got myself a couple of sandwiches too." Harry slid back into his seat before handing zdraco his cup of tea and some chocolate chip cookies.

"Thank you." Draco smiled, pouring the small container of milk into his cup of tea. He couldn't help but smile. He continuously forgot that Harry will always care about him no matter what so whenever he was reminded, it warmed his heart. It was worth it to try for him. "Harry, i was thinking. What if I became a tutor? It'll be earning much better money than just being a teaching aid at Hogwarts." He finally speaks as he dipped his cookie into the warm milk tea.

"Was that what was heavy on your noggin?" Harry chuckled with relief. He thought there had been something he had done wrong. Draco was certainly not laughing and Harry stopped himself quickly. "I mean.. It sounds great, but didn't you want to become an Auror?"

"You're already one. There can only be one overworked person in a relationship." Draco nibbles on the slightly soggy cookies.

"..Agreed." Harry grins, watching Draco eat. It was cute how Draco accepted everything Harry gave him.