The smell of bacon wafted through the tiny cottage. Your eyes snapped open as a clatter of pots came from the kitchen, jolting up and grabbing your wand from the nightstand. The room was dim, the sun just beginning to rise and shine through the thin curtains of the bedroom window. Draco lay next to you, dead asleep, Kelly curled up next to him. You smiled at the sight; they both slept the same way, arms and legs sprawled out and mouths agape. Then you turned your attention back to the noises and mouth-watering aromas coming from the kitchen.
Tip-toeing down the narrow hallway, you poked your head out into the kitchen and your heart leapt with excitement as your suspicions were confirmed. A Harry Potter breakfast was in progress. Harry stood in front of the stove, moving expertly around the tiny kitchen as he whipped up eggs, toast, bacon, ham and pancakes.
“Yes! I’ve gone too long without this.” You said, sitting at the island. As if churning out an order at a diner, Harry whipped around and slid a plate in front of you filled with all of your favorites. You took a bit of pancake, the melted butter and sweet syrup filling your tummy with warmth and happiness. He came around to where you sat, carrying two cups of coffee with him. You took one, your fingers grazing his slightly. Trying your best not to make it awkward between you two, you smiled and took a sip without a word.
“Well, I’m glad you like it.” He sat and tucked into his own breakfast next to you. “So, what’s Kris Rogers’ next move?”
“I… I honestly have no idea.” You realized in between bites of egg. You had no clue what to do now. The thought of the parking garage incident happening again left you sick to your stomach. You couldn’t put Kelly at risk like that again.
“Well, I think you should stay here. You and Kelly both need to stay protected. You’ve given us a lot to go on about Thomas Ellington. Let us find him. We find him, and then you two don’t have to worry. You can go back to having a normal life.”
“We will never go back to the way things were. Kelly knows about this world now. She will want to be a part of it.”
“So let her.” He said simply. You sighed, knowing that was probably what was best. Obviously avoiding magic all this time did absolutely nothing to protect either of you. But it almost felt foreign to you after so many years. Even holding your wand felt unnatural.
“She would be great at Hogwarts.”
“Top of her class. Hands down.” Harry agreed. “And imagine her with the Marauder’s Map? She would own the place!”
“No way! Harry I forbid you to give her that wretched map!” you said seriously.
“Why? We had loads of fun using it!”
There it was again. The awkwardness. The past creeping up on you both. Harry cast his eyes back down at his breakfast, focusing on how best to eat his pancakes. Suddenly, a knock came to the front door. You jumped, startled and relieved at the same time for the interruption.
“Relax.” Harry assured you, getting up. “I called some friends to come as extra protection. They are specialists, trained and experienced in these types of situations.” He pulled open the front door and you let out a deafening squeal of delight at the sight of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. You ran to Hermione, squeezing her half to death.
“Oi! Watch it before I go deaf, woman.” Ron laughed, and you gave him a hug as well.
“Oh I’ve missed you both!” You were as giddy as a schoolgirl coming back for another year at Hogwarts and being reunited with your friends after a long summer break. You heard a bang from down the hallway and turned to see Draco stumbling out, half asleep.
“What’s goin’ on?” he asked, holding his wand limply. He blinked, focusing his eyes to see the four of you standing at the front door. He dropped his wand immediately. “Jesus, Kris. Give me a heart attack, why don’t you?!”
“What is it?” Kelly shoved out from behind him. If Draco thought that your squeal was bad, he wasn’t counting on Kelly’s. An ear-splitting cry of joy emitted from her tiny body and she ran to Hermione.
“AUNTIE HERMIONE! UNCLE RON!” she yelled. Hermione picked her up and hugged her, Kelly giggling in her arms.
“I hope you’ve been keeping up on your reading, Kelly.” She said, putting on a strict demeanor. Kelly’s face fell.
“No, Auntie Hermione. I haven’t. I haven’t got any books!” she pouted. Hermione set her down on the ground and reached into her bag, pulling out a very small red leather bound book and handing it to her. Kelly grimaced at the sight of it, much like she when you propositioned going to the library at Hogwarts. Hermione always tried to encourage Kelly to practice her reading, but most of the time the books she left went untouched on her bedroom floor.
“Thanks, Auntie Hermione.” She said politely, a forced smile on her face. Then she turned an expectant look at her Uncle Ron. She wasn’t disappointed. Ron pulled out a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans from his coat pocket and she grabbed it.
“Ron!” you said, shaking your head. Kelly was already running off to the bedroom to hide them from you.
“I’m sorry, Kris. She’s just so darn cute! I don’t know how you tell her no!”
Harry directed everyone to the kitchen, where breakfast sat waiting. It soon became apparent that Ron and Hermione didn’t know how to act around Draco. They were clearly torn, but seeing Harry acting fairly normal in the situation spurred them to try to do the same. They began discussing other possible safe house locations for you. Knowing that you had no family, they looked toward Draco.
“So… Draco. Do you have any family nearby?” Ron asked. Hermione elbowed him in the stomach under the table. It was common knowledge that Lucius Malfoy died shortly after the war. “Oof! Bloody hell woman!”
“No, I don’t have any family.” Draco said, his body language indicating he was extremely uncomfortable with the subject.
“Well, we will think of something before Bill and Fleur come back from vacation.” Hermione said warmly, trying to ease the tension. You wished that you could stay in the little cottage by the beach forever, but it was clear that it was only built for two people. The five of you eating breakfast in the tiny kitchen was horribly cramped. Suddenly, Draco stood up abruptly and excused himself. He looked distracted and out of sorts, walking out through the front door to the tiny porch.
“I should…” you pointed. The three of them nodded and you got up. Kelly, oblivious to the change in the atmosphere, kept her focus on racing Ron to shovel the most food into their mouths at once. You pulled your sweater tighter as you stepped outside, the crisp morning air inflating your lungs and sending chills up your bare legs. Draco had walked down a ways to the sand and sat in a secluded area behind some very large rocks, cigarette lit in one hand. You came up next to him and sat.
“Hey…” you began. Because you really weren’t sure where to begin.
“I just don’t like talking about it.” He said.
“Alright.” The two of you just sat, watching the waves of the ocean break. He handed you a cigarette but you held up your hand to it. He raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve decided to quit.”
“Good for you.” He put it back in the pack and slipped it into his pocket. Then he started to jiggle his foot, obviously wrestling with something in his mind. You scooted closer to him, and he draped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him.
“My mother saved my life.” He said. He fiddled with a strand of your hair, looking off out to the sunrise. “Before my father died, he disowned me and kicked me out, saying he wouldn’t have a junkie in the family. It killed my mother, but she didn’t know how to help me, so she let me go. I spent years running in a bad crowd, stealing and lying to feed my addiction. Then, one day, I heard about my dad dying. Heart attack. I still remember the day I heard the news. I was actually happy to hear it; I hated that man with everything in me. I went to the service, but my mother wasn’t happy to see me. I didn’t realize then how bad I looked, and I knew that I broke her heart.”
His voice grew strained, his eyes blinking back tears as best they could. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing him against you in a tight hug and whispering soothing words into his ear.
“Draco, it’s alright now. Everything is okay.”
“No, It isn’t. She’s gone because of me.” He choked out. You pulled away and looked him in the eyes, imploring him to go on. He did. “I got into trouble. People were after me. I was tired of running, so I went to her. I wanted to get better. She told me how much she loved me, and missed me. She said she wanted her son back, so she let me stay. I sobered up, and she helped me every step of the way. Then, one night, we were sitting down at dinner when a knock came at the door. My mom was expecting a package, so she got up to answer it. She didn’t even have the door open all the way when they killed her. Just killed her dead right in the sitting room. Right in front of me. I’d never killed anyone before then, but that night I killed four men. And ever since then, I’ve never forgiven myself. If I hadn’t been there, she would be alive right now.”
Talking about that night, Draco’s emotions shifted from sorrowful to completely numb. He sat in the sand motionless, staring out at nothing.
“That may be, Draco. But she wouldn’t have had you. She got to have her son back. As a mother, nothing else would have made her as happy. Even if she would have lived to be 100 years old, it wouldn’t be the same without you with her.” He just shook his head, not saying a word. You took his face, forcing him to look in your eyes. “I’ve lived without you, Draco Malfoy. And if you hadn’t come back, and I lived a long and healthy life without you, it would have been an empty life. A sad life. No life at all, really.”
You said each word with as much passion as you could muster, trying to evoke just how strongly you felt to him. You saw the darkness lift from his eyes as they stared into yours. You took his hand and put it over your chest; your heart beat against his palm, the rhythm of it syncing with his own.
“You have a family Draco. Us.”
An electricity shot through your body as his fingertip slid across your skin, his hand moving from your chest slowly to your arms. He pulled you over his lap, and you straddled him, your toes warm in the sand. He hugged you, his head on your chest. He listened to you breathe, appreciating everything that you were.
“I love you, Kris Rogers.”
“I love you, Draco.”
Your lips connected with his, his hands trailing up your back slowly. His touch teased you, and your body ached painfully for him. You pressed against him, wanting him to know how badly you wanted him. He got the message, but he broke away from you.
“What’s wrong?” you asked, short of breath. He didn’t respond, just stuck his hand in his pocket and retrieved an unknown object, keeping it inside his closed fist.
“You know everything good and bad about me, Kris Rogers. And you still accept me unconditionally. You are a beautiful soul. You keep me going every day. Seeing your beautiful face is the thing I look forward to the most in the morning when I wake up. I hope I get to see it every day for the rest of our lives.”
“I do, too.” You smiled, interlacing your hand with his free one.
“Do you, really?”
“Of course!”
“Well, then,” he opened his fist, revealing the same engagement ring he had given you so many years ago. “Will you marry me?”
You were speechless. You didn’t know how he had the ring, or how long he had been carrying it. He took your left hand, placing it back where it rightfully resided. Tears fell from your eyes. He never did officially ask you to marry him last time; it was implied. But hearing the words out of his mouth, you broke down completely, happiness flooding through your body. You nodded vigorously, both of you smiling like idiots. He kissed you sweetly, reigniting the fire burning within you as soon as his lips made contact with your skin.
You tackled him down into the sand, kissing him hungrily. You felt his hands run down to your butt, and he pulled you closer, moaning as you gyrated against him. You nibbled at his earlobe and he shuddered beneath you, his manhood pressing teasingly on your sweet spot. He pulled your sweater off of your shoulders, leaning up and planting gentle kisses on both of them. He moved slowly, taking in every curve of your body and making you shake with anticipation. He smirked, absolutely loving the effect he had on you. You felt his hands slide up your dress, grasping your hips. You bucked against him impatiently, and he smiled against your lips. You broke away, panting, and reached your hand down to his zipper, releasing him from the confines of his pants and lowering yourself onto him.
The large barrier of rocks worked together with the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore to conceal the two of you making love. In fact, if you hadn’t been so preoccupied, you might have noticed the increased intensity of the waves as your pleasure mounted within you, masking each cry of ecstasy that escaped your lips.