Waking up to sunlight was unexpected, but once I was able to turn my head away from the golden rays, it was kind of nice. Different, at least, from waking up to the grey walls of the Room.
Waking up to the warmth of Draco's arms around me though was undeniably and wholly fantastic.
"I am never leaving the bed." I mumbled, turning over and curling tighter into Draco's chest when I found the rest of the sheets around me too cold for my preference.
"Sounds good to me." Draco said sleepily, and I cracked open an eye to look up at him. He still had his eyes closed, from what I could tell, but a small smile was pulling at his lips. I leant up and pressed a kiss to his jaw.
"Sleep well?"
"Extraordinarily." He told me. "I think it may be awhile before my sleep schedule is entirely normalized, but this was certainly a good start."
"I'm glad to hear it." I smiled gently, even as I carefully pushed myself up so I was resting on my elbows in attempt to glance at the room. "Any idea what time it is?"
"Too early to be up." Draco mumbled, and I laughed as he moved his arm, reaching up to wrap it around me and pull me back down to him, his lips finding my forehead. I rolled my eyes.
"The sun may disagree."
"The sun can piss off for all I care." He said with a sigh, then cracked open an eye and looked over to me. "You can stay, though."
"Glad to hear it." I told him, rolling over onto my side and wrapping an arm around him, pleased when I managed to slip a cold hand under his shirt and touch warm skin. I could only enjoy it though for a second before he all but scrambled away, swearing under his breath.
"Your hands are cold, Potter." He accused, staring at me reproachfully from where he was now sitting up. I chuckled, unable to help my grin.
"Sorry. You're warm."
"Well, I'm not anymore." He muttered, nose crinkling up as he ran his hand through his hair. "You'll pay for that."
"I'm so scared." I mumbled, rolling over into his now-abandoned spot. I didn't realize that closing my eyes had been a mistake till I felt a pair of cold hands slip under my shirt and press against my skin. I laughed, trying to scramble away as quickly as possible. Draco was quick though, arms moving to wrap around my waist and pull me towards him, situating us so I sat in his lap while he rested against the headboard, cold fingers still holding onto my waist.
"You jerk!" I laughed, wrestling his arms away from me and just managing to pin him, hands above his head against the headboard of the bed. Draco had been grinning, completely unabashed by his actions, until it all dropped from his face and was replaced by a closed look I wasn't often a witness to.
"Careful with your hands, Potter." He said quietly, and for a moment I didn't understand why- but when I looked up, I realized how close my fingers were to brushing the Dark Mark on his forearm. Undeterred, I frowned, letting his other hand go so I could gently pull his left arm closer to me. Draco stayed quiet as I did so, watching me with an unreadable expression. I wondered if he expected me to cry, or be recoil, or push it away from me.
Instead, I leant down and gently kissed the back of his hand.
"Does it hurt at all?" I asked, not letting go of his hand but holding it tightly even as it dropped to rest between us. I watched him quietly as he thought over the question before he shrugged.
"Not really. Not since he died." He told me. "It's just ugly now."
"It'll fade into a scar eventually." I reassured gently, brows furrowed. "Not ideal, but..."
"I could live with it." Draco sighed, looking a little relieved at the idea that the skull and snake wouldn't last forever. He managed a small, tired smile. "What's one more scar?"
"I remember you once telling me you thought your scars weren't brave." I said, tilting my head to the side as I looked at him. "This one is."
He snorted at that, looking rather unconvinced. "And how do you come to that conclusion?"
"Because if you didn't have this one, I would." I said gently. "Remember that? I could've been a spy, as much as you were. And then you stepped in, and I didn't have to anymore. You spared me from that."
He stared at me then, a little at a loss, a little hard in the eyes before he nodded, a determined expression crossing his face. Then- "I would never let anything like that happen to you."
"You didn't." I reminded him, leaning up to press my lips to his forehead, then dropping down to peck his lips gently when I felt his arms circle my waist. "Thank you for that, by the way."
"Anytime." He said, a wry smile pulling at his lips. "Always for you, Potter."
"My always." I teased lightly, fondly, moving down to kiss him again when three sharp knocks came from the door and we both snapped up to look at it, nearly knocking heads in the process.
"Damnit- yes?" I called idly, nose crinkling up at the disturbance.
"Lily? The Weasley's are here- we're having breakfast! Basement dining room! Come eat!" Sirius's voice chimed cheerfully through the door. I paused, waiting to see if that was it, but when no footsteps could be heard I realized he was waiting for a response.
"I'll be down in a few! Very shortly! Don't wait up!" I said, then, as an afterthought, "Save me some food!"
"Will do!" Sirius called, and I let out a relieved sigh as I heard him move down the hall, my shoulders relaxing that I wouldn't have any awkward explaining to do just yet.
Turning back to Draco, I had a second to figure out what the spark in his eyes meant before the world turned upside down and I was under him. I was only able to get the beginning of a laugh out, though, before his lips found mine. And it didn't take long for all those feelings from last night to rush back again, making me feel as though my pulse had slowed in a lax, lazy state even as my heart picked up pace.
My hands came up, arms circling up around his neck as his fingers moved, running down my sides and sending shivers up my spine. Warm anticipation had knotted in my gut, and for a moment I sank into the feelings, letting them overrule better thought for just a moment more. I could afford a little time, after all. I surely had worked for it.
I could feel the tension in his shoulders, the heat in his hands, and was aware of it just as I was aware of the warm feeling that had settled in my own stomach. I was sure he could feel the way my breath stuttered, could tell I felt the same. His hands found my ribs under my shirt, comfortably warm against my skin as one of my legs settled over his hip. It wasn't hard to find joy in the little things of the moment, like the way his lips stayed gentle against mine, with no desperation or rush, or how I could feel his heartbeat in his chest, alive and warm and mine.
The moment ended to soon, at my own fault. Pulling away, I let out a sigh.
"We're getting awfully carried away, I think." I murmured, moving my hand to run my fingers through my hair. Draco hummed, dark eyes watching me as his fingers brushed over my ribs and down my sides.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"I did say I'd be down for breakfast soon." I teased breathlessly, not feeling the slightest shame in knowing how flushed my cheeks must look. Draco shrugged, breath brushing my skin as he moved down to kiss the tip of my nose, then my cheek, before he moved down to my jaw.
"That's not my problem. You put the time constraint on yourself." He murmured, grinning a bit roguishly when his lips found my neck and a soft sound left my mouth. He pulled away though with a sigh, and pressed his lips to the much more family-friendly area that was my forehead. "But I'd rather you not have your focus be on food."
"I promise, food was the last thing on my mind." I told him, feeling the pink go back into my face as the words left my mouth. He smirked, looking a little too smug at that information before my stomach growled, a low rumble that made my nose crinkle up.
"Well, maybe I wasn't consciously thinking about food." I amended, leaning over to peck his lips gently- I made sure to keep it brief though, knowing how easy it would be to get pulled back into the warm bed again. "Come on, let me up. I can't go downstairs in my pajama shorts."
"You're keeping the shirt on?" Draco asked in surprise, moving back to let me slide out of the bed. I shrugged, grimacing a little as the cold wood of the floor touched my feet.
"Of course I am." I said as I padded over to my trunk and threw it open, hoping to find a pair of suitable jeans at the top. Unfortunately, it appeared they had been packed at the bottom, and I let out a huff as I began to rifle through everything. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Your family might see it as... suggestive." He said slowly, unabashedly staring when I slipped my shorts off to change into the blue jeans I had found at the bottom of my trunk. I shrugged, and shimmied into my jeans in what I hoped wasn't a completely awkward manner. A look of fondness had appeared on Draco's face though, so I figured it had looked a little ridiculous.
"Well, technically, they wouldn't be wrong." I pointed out, grabbing my wand from the beside table and using it to pull my hair up, a style Lavender had taught me after one too many boring afternoons in the Room. "But I'm not worried- I've worn your shirt a lot. I'm sure most of them have forgotten it was ever even yours."
"As long as the Weasley twin hasn't forgotten, I'm fine with that." Draco said as he rose from the bed, brushing past me to grab his folded pants from where he had put them by the bedside table. I frowned, turning abruptly and dropping my hands from my hair.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm not an idiot, Potter." Draco said, giving me a knowing look as he dressed. "And Theo likes to gossip."
"It wasn't like that. Well, it was once, but even then- it's always been rather one sided. And now it's nothing." I said, guilt flooding my chest. "It's just been you for me. Maybe one time, there was another option, but now- no. I can't even think- it's just you. You know that, don't you?"
"Of course I know that. Like I said, Potter," Draco said with an exaggerated sigh, "I'm not an idiot."
I managed a small smile at that, holding out my hand for him to take.
"Good. Had to make sure you were sure about me, after all. I've got basically my entire family downstairs."
"I've already met most of your family. The whole spy-for-the-Order bit wasn't a nightmare, unfortunately."
"Yeah, but that was as an Order member. Now you're going down to meet them as the boy who just spent the night in my room." I reminded him, grinning a little as he took the moment to process that. Then-
"Do you think I should conjure a shield charm now, or-?"
"I think that if anyone tries to hex you, I'll get to them first." I told him fondly, leaning up to kiss his cheek before I opened the door, and we stepped out together.
_
"Want another pancake, Flower? Molly's made another stack." Sirius said, scooting back into the chair across from me. I shrugged, waiting to swallow the mouthful of pancakes before I answered. It was nearing noon now, and still breakfast was being eaten- our own celebration of sorts.
"I think I need to pause between all the food- I might get sick." I said honestly, setting my fork down. "Definitely later, though. Merlin, I can't even begin to explain how much I missed fresh, warm food-"
"They stopped serving warm food at Hogwarts?" Bill Weasley asked, looking a little appalled at the idea. I waved him off, giving my head a small shake.
"No. Well, kind of- the quality decreased. But I mean, I was stuck in the Room of Requirement for a couple weeks near the end. Aberforth would help us sneak in food, but it was rare for anything to be topnotch quality. No offense to him, I mean, it was great, but- not the same, you know?" I said, managing a weak smile. I still wasn't sure how I felt talking about the past few months with others. It felt awkward, too uncomfortable, too much attention on me. But as much as I didn't watch the attention, Theo grasped at it.
"We mainly survived off fruit and stale bread for like, a month a half." He said, propping his elbows on the table and gesturing with his hands. "Also, firewhisky. Not sure how I managed to maintain such a fit physique, but-"
"You've got syrup on your cheek, Theo." Blaise interrupted quickly, sparing us all. I smiled, a little amused by my friends' antics before I turned back to Bill.
"So, anyway, it wasn't unbearable. I just missed home." I said simply, and Bill smiled.
"Well, it's good to have you around again. Ginny was getting unbelievably impatient about seeing you." He told me, then frowned when he glanced down the table and realized the redhead was no where to be seen. "Where is she, anyway?"
"Probably wherever scarface is." Draco mumbled under his breath, amusedly, and I elbowed him lightly in the ribs even as I chuckled.
"I think I saw her when we passed by the living room on the way down." I reassured Bill, managing a small smile as I turned back to look at Sirius. "Hey- where are Remus and Tonks? Caiden and Teddy?"
"Still sleeping. I thought about trying to wake them up, but when you have two young kids, I think you take what sleep you can get. Time of day be damned." Sirius said thoughtfully, picking up his orange juice glass. "Almost thankful I didn't have to experience that bit."
"Yeah, you just had two teens focused on saving the blood wizarding world." George teased as he slid into a seat next to Sirius, a good stack of pancakes on his plate. "No biggie."
"I don't know. I'd almost rather have that than sleepless nights." Fred commented, sinking into the chair at the other side of Sirius. Sirius, who had been drinking orange juice, made a small snorting sound before choking, and had to wave everybody off while he coughed it out of his system.
"Oh, trust me-" He finally managed, eyes a little watery. "There were plenty of sleepless nights."
"Sorry about that." I said sheepishly. Sirius smiled at me, and I was smiling back when a pair of hands came down on my shoulders.
"Lily!" Ginny said warmly, smiling at me when I tilted my head up to look at her, then nodded her head towards Draco. "Malfoy."
"Weaslette." My boyfriend greeted dryly, and I rolled my eyes at the both of them, reaching up to gently pat one of Ginny's hands.
"What is it?"
"Well, for one, I'm glad to see you." Ginny began, eyebrows raised. "And two, I was wondering if I could steal you away for a moment."
"Of course." I said, scooting back from the table. Before I left the room I touched Draco's shoulder gently, hoping he wouldn't resent me too much for leaving him in a room filled with mostly Gryffindors, before I followed Ginny up to the entrance hallway, waving to the Lupins as they passed us on their way to the kitchen.
"So, what's up?" I asked slowly, stopping once we were by the staircase. Ginny turned to me, arms wrapped around herself.
"I heard Snape was your godfather." She told me, looking genuinely troubled. "Harry told me. And I want to apologize."
My nose crinkled up. "You don't have to do that- he was an asshole to you."
"I know. I'm not apologizing to him." Ginny corrected, eyebrows raising at that. "I'm apologizing to you."
"I'm a little lost."
"I said things, Neville said things- and you know the future, don't you? You knew Snape was going to die, and we just rubbed it in." She said, biting down on her lip. "And it was thoughtless, and I'm sorry. He was a cruel, hard-ass wizard, but I know you must miss him."
"You actually looked like you were in pain as you said that." I teased, smiling when Ginny finally cracked a small smile. I reached over, taking one of her hands to give a reassuring squeeze. "I do miss him. But it's okay. You don't have to apologize- in fact, I'd prefer it everyone stopped. What Severus was to me doesn't erase what he was to everyone else, and I get that. I think it's just best for everyone else to move on."
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, and I nodded once.
"Positive, Ginny. If you really feel bad, you can come to the funeral."
She grimaced, and I laughed.
"Is that a no, then?" I said, taken aback but pleased when Ginny stepped forward and threw her arms up around my neck again, hugging me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her waist, smiling.
"We're gonna be friends for a long time, aren't we?" Ginny asked, confidence strong even in a question. I nodded as I stepped away, letting my arms slide from around her.
"A very, very long time." I promised with a smile. The moment was ruined though when there was a cough, and we both turned to look down the hall and see Harry standing there, eyebrows raised.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"No, we were just talking." I said quickly. "What's up?"
"I wanted to talk to you- Ginny." Harry supplied when I frowned, and he raked a hand through his already messy hair. "If you don't mind."
Ginny's eyes had widened. Trying to be helpful, I nodded cheerfully.
"No! Not at all. I need to get back anyway- I left three Slytherins alone in a room of Gryffindors." I said, and Harry shot me a wry smile as I brushed past him, managing a quick pat on his shoulder as I walked by. I was glad to see they were finally getting time together- they both deserved each other in the best ways possible.
Heading back to the dining room, I heard the commotion before I stepped into it, but that didn't mean that I was in anyway prepared.
"What do you mean, am I daft? Have you seen them play? Monkeys on teapots have a better chance at making a goal-"
"The Chudley Cannons are a hell of a lot better than your stupid Magpies!"
"Say that to the statistics, Weaselbee-"
"Both your teams suck! Everyone knows Holyhead Harpies are the ones to watch out for-"
"Sirius! Ron! Draco- what the hell is going on?" I said loudly from the entryway, arms crossed over myself. Everyone in the room turned to me then, including those who hadn't even taken part of the conversation but rather were watching with mirthful glee.
"They're arguing over Quidditch teams." Percy supplied from where he sat at the table, appearing rather bemused. "Apparently, not even a war can settle some differences."
"It's not my fault he's got an absolutely rubbish taste in teams! Have some integrity, Malfoy-"
"At least I've some common sense- the Cannons would have to chug at least a cauldron each of Felix Felicis to even tie in a game-"
"You two are being ridiculous." I said,and when Sirius opened his mouth to speak, I shut him up with a quick hand gesture. "Will you all stop this nonsense and continue on with breakfast? You're being loud, and I will not have it this early in the morning!"
"Yes mum." Ron huffed, sending Draco a dubious look even as he sank back into his seat- it seemed the conversation and gotten heated enough to warrant a standing argument. Draco didn't look entirely pleased either, but seemed to find some satisfaction in the way Ron's shoulders slumped. The look quickly dissolved however when Teddy was plopped into his lap by Tonks. He looked down at him for a minute, frowning as the baby's hair turned a pale blonde.
"Why is there a child in my lap?"
"My arm was getting sore from holding him." Tonks said simply, stretching said arm about over her head. "And if a baby is in your lap, you can't stand up and argue- at least you better not."
"Understood." Draco muttered, and I rolled my eyes as he fussed with Teddy for a moment, making sure the child was comfortable and that all sharp silverware was out of his arm's reach. I offered him my finger when he reached out though, smiling fondly at him when his eyes turned green.
"Well if that's not an odd flash into the future, I don't know what is." Theo said amusedly, and I looked up at him in confusion.
"What?" I asked, eyebrow raising. Theo merely rolled his eyes, clearly entertained by my obliviousness, while Blaise actually offered help.
"He's got Draco's hair and your eyes." He explained curtly, then squinted at Teddy. "If he didn't have Tonks's nose still, he could be mistaken as yours."
"Except for the fact that we are both still very much seventeen." Draco said dryly, though there was a pink tint in his cheeks that hadn't been there before. "Thinking a little too far into the future there, Zabini."
"For once, I agree with Malfoy." Sirius said as he plopped another spoonful of sugar into his tea. "Enough talk of- Kingsley! There you are!"
I rolled my eyes at Sirius's antics, turning to greet the Auror when I saw the expression on his face. It was grim, and it turned the atmosphere to the same as everyone else noticed him, the buzz of the breakfast table slowly diminishing.
"I apologize for being late." The Auror said. "Something came up."
"Well, you're here now. Why not you sit? " Molly suggested kindly. Kingsley regarded her kindly, but shook his head.
"I'm afraid I could not come for breakfast." He said, eyes drifting back to where I sat with my friends. He didn't look at me though, but rather at the three boys that sat around me, and all appeared equally on edge."If I may borrow you three for a moment- and anyone you would consider family."
"What's this about, Kingston?" Theo asked brazenly, staring up at the Auror with a defiant frown. Kingsley rolled his eyes, and didn't bother to correct Theo as he spoke.
"The Ministry- what little of it is still functioning, anyway- is siphoning through potential threats to the rebuilding system." He explained with a sigh. "And unfortunately, that includes you three."
Even Ron looked aghast. "That's ridiculous- they might be prats, but they're still on our side."
"Thanks, Weasley." Draco said wryly. Ron shrugged. Kingsley nodded, brows furrowed.
"I am well aware. But many people outside of the Order are not- they see you three as Death Eater's sons, or as Death Eaters yourselves." He said it gently, but I could feel Draco's shoulders tense from beside me, and he passed the baby off to Tonks carefully before Kingsley gestured towards the stairs.
"Now, if you please- it'll be but a few minutes of your time." He promised. Draco, Blaise, and Theo all rose up from the table, and my hand slipped into Draco's as I stood up with him. What surprised me though is that Tonks stood up to, having passed the baby off to Remus. And across from us, Sirius had risen as well. Even Draco looked puzzled.
"What... are you doing?"
"You're family." It was Tonks that spoke. "Like it or not, cousin."
"What?" Theo looked taken aback, and was looking between Tonks and Draco with raised eyebrows. "Cousin?"
"Our mothers were sisters." Tonks said evenly, looking over to Theo. "And Sirius is their cousin, so he's in the mix too."
"Damn pureblood family trees." Draco mumbled under his breath, cringing when I elbowed him gently in the ribs.
"They can help- Tonks is an Auror, and Sirius is wiser than we give him credit for." I said, smiling a little when I could see Sirius frowning at me out of the corner of my eye. I pressed a little closer to Draco, head tilting up so I could look up at him properly. "Please."
Draco sighed. "I don't think I could stop them from coming if I even tried."
"Probably not." Tonks agreed cheerfully, clapping Draco on the shoulder as she brushed past and followed Theo and Blaise up the stairs. Draco's hand still firm in mine, we followed after them.
Kingsley had cleared everyone out of the living room, and it was there that we piled in. I huffed when Theo, Blaise and Tonks claimed the couch first, and found myself sitting on the arm of the chair Draco sat on. I would've been fine with sitting on his lap, but Sirius was already squinting at us suspiciously as he moved to stand behind the couch.
"So what's going on, Kinglsey?" I was the one to speak, my nerves unable to settle. "What does the Ministry want?"
"Just a questioning."
"It's a trial." Draco said from beside me, all humor and good-nature dropped from his features. "Isn't it? Don't bullshit us with the 'questioning' bit- it's an interrogation. We'll be having a hearing."
"As stupid as it is, it's better than nothing." Sirius's tone was soft. Draco considered this with a polite nod.
"So, what- we just go in, answer a few questions, and they'll let us go?" It was Blaise who spoke, sounding much too skeptical.
"It is possible- the less you were involved with Voldemort, the more likely it is you will come out unscathed." Kingsley explained. "They've not formed a mob- rather, they're just trying to be safe. After this war, everyone is a little wary of each other. And you three especially all have names that link you to some..."
"Undesirable backgrounds." Theo supplied helpfully. Kingsley nodded, looking genuinely apologetic.
"Unfortunately." He agreed. Tonks shifted, crossing her legs as she leant back into the couch and regarded Kingsley. It was a little weird, to see her so serious- it wasn't often that she was in Auror mode outside of work itself.
"What are their chances of avoiding Azkaban?" She asked, the question that I was sure most of us had been skipping around. Kingsley shook his head though, looking a little at loss.
"I've no idea- I'm trying to influence where I can for lighter examinations, but a wizard by the name of Tiberius is currently pulling a lot of weight." Kingsley looked about ready to roll his eyes at that statement, but continued on, "Nott and Zabini have better chances than Malfoy, I believe-" at that, he turned to Draco, "I'm not sure if you were aware, but your father has gone missing. I suspect they believe that putting you in trouble may draw him out."
Draco did something that sounded like choked laughter, and quickly moved to cover his mouth with his hand. When he glanced up at Kingsley, his eyes were dark.
"The last time I spoke to my father, it was so he could make me aware that I was a disappointment. Then he left me to die in a field." He said in a very matter-of-fact tone. "If they want to find him, I am not the path to do so. They're mistaken."
"They won't believe you." I spoke without giving myself the permission to do so, something tight in my vocal chords that made the words come out strained. I glanced up to Kingsley, very aware of the worry that must've shown on my features. "What can we do? There must be someway to help- there's enough evidence. Memories, papers, anything-"
"Anything can be forged and anyone can be imperiused. The Ministry has a very tight guideline to what they're accepting right now as solid fact." Tonks interrupted, lips slanted into a grimace. Sirius nodded in weary agreement.
"Even Dumbledore was barely able to clear Snape's name way back when, and none of us have the pull that he did. Except maybe Kingsley."
"Kind of you, Sirius. But with Tiberius in charge, there's very little I can do yet- I am going to visit with some of the attendees later this afternoon to plead your cases." Kingsley said, brows furrowed. "I do not wish any of you to feel as though the Order has left you. We are still here for our own."
"There are no hard feelings between us." Blaise said gently. "And I have faith the Ministry will listen fairly. People may be wary, but that doesn't mean completely insensible."
"Speak for yourself. People are insane." Theo scoffed as he rose up from the couch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to owl Lovegood. Something tells me it would be quite rude to toddle off to Azkaban without telling her."
"You're not going yet, Theo!" Blaise called after him, making a small sound of annoyance as he went to follow after his friend. Before he left though he turned back and regarded the room with a small nod. "Thank you for the heads up, Kingsley. What time does the Ministry expect us tomorrow?"
"It would be best to arrive as early as you can- five, perhaps. And of course, Zabini." Kingsley said. Blaise's nose crinkled up, but he nodded, then continued on his way and left the rest of us in the room to ourselves. I could feel the weight in it though, the seriousness that felt too soon. Carefully I slipped off of the arm chair, willing my legs to keep me upright.
"I think I need a moment." I said quietly, feeling rather smaller when everyone's eyes were turned on me. When I turned my back I didn't hesitate to take a quick pace upstairs, managing a few small smiles for the people I passed before I was safe inside my bedroom walls. Closing the door behind me, I lent back against it and gave a deep breath.
Getting used to the whole "not knowing the future" thing was going to take some time. But I was just so mad- none of them deserved to be interrogated, to have their loyalties questioned. They had all risked their lives, had all helped me, the Order. They were my friends. My boyfriend. My love.
Stepping away from the door, I ran my fingers through my hair, closing my eyes as I tried to sort out all the thoughts in my head. Problems, solutions, potential, fears... it was nauseating and exhausting. The war was over. I thought that was that. I hadn't thought that the Ministry would want to interfere.
Letting out a frustrated sound, I kicked at the trunk and then cursed when I very quickly remembered I was only wearing socks. With a huff I fell back, falling down onto the side of the bed and glaring at the traitorous trunk when there was a gentle knock on the door, and it creaked open.
"Lily?"
"Hey- I'm okay. Just taking a moment." I said, dropping my eyes down to the floor as Draco stepped inside, the door closing gently behind him.
"C'mon, Potter. We can't lie to each other." He said quietly. I looked up to him at that, at the pained expression. Different, from the cool mask he had put on downstairs with the others. I could feel the tears welling up being my eyes, and determined to keep them down I looked away, staring intently at a knot in the wood of the floor.
"I just got you back." I said weakly, once I felt my vocal chords were able to be used without tears coming along. "I'm not- I can't- I don't want- you don't-"
"I know." Draco stepped closer, kneeling down in front of me and giving me no choice but to look at him. I did so tearily, biting my lip when he took my hands in his gently. I could feel a tear escape, dripping down my cheek, but with both my hands in Draco's I had no choice but to let it fall.
"How many times is someone going to try and take you away from me?" I asked, voice soft but loud in the silence of the room. Draco closed his eyes, hanging his head for a moment as he let out a heavy breath.
"I don't know." He said after a moment, gray eyes moving back towards mine. "I don't know why. I wish I did. But it doesn't matter, as long as they don't succeed. They can't take us away from each other if we don't want to go. I think we've learned that much over the years."
I managed a weak smile at that, but the tightness in my chest had yet to leave. "We are rather stubborn."
"It's almost impressive." Draco murmured, fingers gentle as they kneaded my palms, moved up to my wrist in a soothing matter. "Relax, Potter. It will be alright."
"You say that, but- what are you doing?" I asked, voice catching when his lips pressed lightly to the back of my hand before moving up to touch my wrist, following after gentle fingers. He hummed, a sound I was more capable of feeling feel against my skin rather than just hearing before he glanced at me.
"Do you trust me?" He asked simply. I let out a huff of air.
"Of course I do."
"Then believe me. Everything is going to be alright." He decided, letting my hands drop back gently into my lap as he moved up, pressing his lips gently to my own. It was a brief kiss, barely anything, really, and when he pulled away, his smile was small. I watched him dubiously.
"Is that a promise?"
"It's a promise that nothing will keep me from you again." He said, reaching down to take my hand and gently pull me up from the bed. "I already told you, Potter. No more leaving."
"You can't control the Ministry, love."
"Maybe not." He agreed, "But, you must remember; they can't control me either."
That made me smile.
*
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Hello all! Thanks for being patient.
I understand this chapter is definitely on the more domestic side of life, but I hope you didn't find it too low-paced. Somethings characters deserve a little peace too. And as you can see, nothing ever lasts for long anyway. Oh, well. It happens.
VALENTINE'S DAY ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm stoked to announce I am doing a short story compilation again! I'm sure some of you remember last year's, so I hope you're excited for this year's stories. Lemme let you in on the guidelines/general info.
1. I will be writing three short stories about the couples that receive the highest amounts of votes.
2. You can vote for any pairing inside the HP universe that you want. Canon or not, in the fanfic or not. Marauder's era, HP era, NextGen era, Potter-Universe, Girl Marauder-Universe, it's up to you. Keep in mind, though, I can only writing a pairing as well as I know them. So nothing SUPER out of left field, maybe. But if you have a pairing you want to see more of, or just want to see, now's your chance!
3. You can vote by commenting or sending me a private message. I do ask, however, that if you comment your vote, look to see if anyone else has commented that same pairing already, then add your vote as a reply to that comment. It keeps things a little more neat and easier to sort through so everything can be done fairly and you get the pairings you want!
4. The stories might not be posted exactly on Valentine's Day, though I would love to be able to do that. School is just crazy. But I would expect the stories to definitely be posted around that weekend. I will keep you updated.
5. VOTING WILL CLOSE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY TENTH. No sooner, but also no later. SO MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR VOTE IN! Let your voice be heard! I want to hear it!
And that's about it regarding Valentine's Day. But I'm excited!
Anyway, back to Potter.
I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; let me know what you think by voting, commenting, or sending me a quick message! Your opinions matter to me.
Hope you all have had a wonderful start to your February!
Luv ya,
-Lily