And there they stood. Kissing, in the Great Hall.
Hermione's eyes were filled with tears. She wiped her eyes and snuggled into Ron's shoulder, who held her into an embrace and kissed her head, then looked at the kissing couple and couldn't stop smiling. He felt proud of his friend.
Ginny's face was rather shocked. She gave Pansy a look, her mouth still open. Pansy was also taken aback. No one said a word, the whole of the Great Hall was still in shock.
All that could be heard was the occasional cough from a student. The teachers were also very quiet. When the two lovers parted the kiss, Draco had tears in his eyes. Harry brushed his fingers on his face to wipe all the residue . Draco looked into his eyes and smiled. The two boys looked at the crowd in front of them and Harry's voice broke the silence.
"Dear Hogwarts,"He began, "Yes, as you can see, Draco and I are a couple. True, we weren't ready to come out, but we were forced into it by the very people we trusted the most. So, what can we do? They were surely hoping to bring us down but we chose to be brave." And as he finished his speech he held his lover's hand in his.
There was a slow clap, then it became louder by the second. Harry smiled. He felt so much respect for himself in that moment. And for the crowd. Everyone was clapping at the bravery, except Blaise, Gregory, Pansy and Ginny. Blaise was so shocked that he had almost choked on a bean.
"Enough!" Professor McGonagall yelled, but no one seemed to pay attention to her.
Ginny, at the sight of the applauding people, felt as if she had made a mistake in her plan. She turned to Pansy, her face showing a disappointed look. "I don't understand... why is everyone clapping their hands?" She wondered.
"They should all be infuriated!" Pansy protested. The look on her face was similar to Ginny's.
"Well, this is unexpected." Harry said, feeling surprised. He thought that the silence in the Great Hall meant trouble was to come. But, he was happy to be wrong. He turned his head to see Draco's reaction, he was just as surprised as he was.
"Wait till you see what the Slytherins have to say, though." Draco said, eying his house mates. He was already starting to feel worried.
Professor McGonagall had had enough of the ruckus that was now taking place in the room, so she yelled "Finite Incantatem!" and ordered for everyone to keep quiet.
She got just the effect she had intended to receive, as every student was done clapping and shouting.
"What were you looking to achieve?" She asked in a scolding tone, referring to Ginny and Pansy.
"Orchestrating this buffoonery! What were you thinking, humiliating students like this?"
Both girls were looking at their feet in shame. Ginny was the first one to speak.
"I-" she tried to say, but the Headmistress intervened. "Miss Weasley," she said sternly. "and Miss Parkinson, the price you will pay for your misconduct consists in the removal of 50 points each. Nevertheless, sending unauthorized material to the Daily Prophet is considered a felony, therefore you should both be expelled, but we will have the time to discuss the matter with your parents."
"But-" Pansy tried to argue, but she was shushed immediately by McGonagall's worst death stare.
The Headmistress ordered for everyone to go back to their seats and continue with their meal, then she turned around to speak to Harry and Draco and awarded them 25 points each for their bravery.
Harry passed a shocked Ginny on his way to his seat. "It takes much more to bring down Harry Potter, didn't Voldemort teach you anything?" he said to her, with a hint of sass.
The girl couldn't find the words, she merely gasped.
An angry Blaise rose from his seat and ran towards Draco. "So this is your big secret, uh?" He said in a defiant tone. "You're a faggot, And with Potter. That's just disgusting!" He spat.
"What do you care, Blaise? It's not something that defines me. But if you're not willing to accept this, then I don't see why we should carry on with our friendship." Draco responded, feeling confident. This earned him a smile from his boyfriend.
Blaise spat in his face.
"Hey, don't you dare! Leave him alone!" Harry shouted, coming to Draco's rescue.
"What do you want, Potter?" Blaise asked in a bitter tone. "Looking for trouble, you faggot?" As he said he got into Harry's face. Harry's hand was in his pocket, aiming for his wand.
"I'd say you are." The black haired boy said, ready to take his wand out.
"Am I mute or something? Now, all of you, go back to eating dinner or I will expel you!" McGonagall yelled.
This prevented a fight. Blaise simply glared at Harry and Draco, then went back to his seat.
Ron and Hermione, who had not said anything yet (though they had been clapping), congratulated the pair on their courage. "Thanks." Draco responded. "Although...could I sit with you Gryffindors?" He timidly asked.
Ron, Hermione and Harry all turned their heads to check on the Slytherins.
They did not have the friendliest faces, at all.
"Sure, Draco." Said Hermione. The four of them all made their way to the table.
"So, you two are a thing?" Neville asked when Harry and Draco sat in front of him. He wasn't afraid of the latter anymore, it seemed.
"Yep." Harry said.
"Know that I am perfectly fine with this." Neville said, looking at the two of them.
Draco nodded and Harry thanked him.
Ginny and Pansy sat at the High Table with the teachers.
That night, Draco slept in Harry's dorm.
It wasn't safe to sleep in the same room as Blaise and Gregory.
He woke up in the middle of the night, must have been around 3 am.
He saw that the other boy had his arms wrapped around him, which made him smile. Oh Potter, what have you done to me? You turned me into an emotional sap, he thought.
He couldn't sleep much as what had happened hours before was running through his mind. Everyone had found out about him and Harry and he had found himself caught in the crossfire of the Slytherins' rage.
He was surprised, though, that the Gryffindors, whom he had bullied relentlessly through the years, were more supportive than his own house mates.
How could they turn their back on him? After all, he was still a prefect. And not to mention he had helped build everyone's reputation. Now his own reputation had fallen apart.
His trail of thought shifted to the last month of his life. He had thrown all of that away because of a few nights of sex with his old enemy. But, for some weird, astronomical reason, he had fallen for him. He had told him that he loved him. He had never said those words to anyone in his life before. He wondered if it all was worth it.
Worth losing his family... He knew that his father would have murdered him.
He was incredibly afraid of what he would say, he dreaded that he would have come to Hogwarts himself, ready to disown him.
What had happened to the old Draco? He was dead.
He needed some air, as the thought of this father was enough to make him incredibly anxious. He was sure that he would have had a panic attack if he had stayed in that bed. So, he slowly lifted Harry's arm and went on to slither out of his grasp.
He decided that a bath in the Prefects Bathroom had to be to in order, so he made his way to it- it was the best way to calm his nerves.
Draco sank his body into the bubbly water and suddenly felt all the tension he had built up fade. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the border of the tub.
Bless bubbly baths.
He didn't know how long he had been there when he heard someone come into the room. He suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, trying to cover his privates with his hands.
"I knew I'd find you here." Came Harry's voice. He watched as his boyfriend undressed and went into the water with him.
"How did you know the password to this bathroom?" Draco asked. Last time he'd checked, Harry wasn't a prefect. But then he considered that his closeness to Ron and Hermione might have played a part in it.
"I have my ways." His boyfriend responded.
Harry swam closer to the blond boy and put an arm around his shoulders.
"I couldn't sleep." Draco said. He rested his head on Harry's shoulder.
"Thoughts of my father are haunting my brain."
"We can face him together." Harry reassured.
Draco nodded. "Oh, Harry, I love you." he suddenly breathed.
His boyfriend grinned at him, then he brushed his face with his thumb and kissed him softly. "I love you, too."
They ended up making love into the tub. That was what they both needed to end that exhausting and stressful day.
The next morning, Harry and Draco were filled with anxiety, thinking of the day that was ahead of them.
"I'm so, so nervous." Draco muttered to his boyfriend as they were walking towards the Great Hall for Breakfast.
"Don't worry. Just hold my hand." Harry said. The grey eyed boy held his hand tightly.
"Guys... you need to see this." said Hermione. She was holding the new edition of the Daily Prophet in her hand. She showed it to the both of them and they saw that the picture of their kiss was on the front page.
"Directly from Hogwarts, the saviour of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter, seems to be in love with ex death eater, Draco Malfoy." Hermione began reading the snippet. "Could this be dark magic?"
Draco had to sit in order to process the news. "So, now, everyone in the Wizarding World knows?" he asked Hermione, who nodded.
"Dark Magic!" Hermione exclaimed. "How can they say something like this about homosexuality?" she continued. She was appalled, to say the least.
"Think of what the parents will say now." Harry said with a sigh. This situation reminded him of when nobody believed him when he'd said that the Dark Lord had come back. He remembered how the parents of some students had accused him and Dumbledore of being corrupted.
"Don't mind them, Harry." Hermione said.
"Oh, but where is Ron?" Harry asked, just now noticing his absence.
"Oh, he went to say hi to George, his parents are here to talk to the Headmistress and George tagged along." The girl answered.
"Malfoy," Professor Slughorn's voice called. "You need to come with me to my office. Your father is here for you."
So, Lucius really did come to Hogwarts to talk to Draco. The boy was hoping that this fear of him visiting him would not come true. But now, his father was there, for him. He felt like he could faint at any minute. "Oh, no." He murmured. He was shaking and breathing irregularly.
"I'll come, too." Harry said.
Slughorn nodded. He could never say no to Harry, anyway.
"Good luck!" Hermione said to the pair, then she hugged them both.
As he, Harry and the professor made their way to Slughorn's office, Draco felt as if he was heading straight to the pillory. This is what people who are sentenced to death must feel like upon their arrival at the execution site.
Lucius was standing with the Daily Prophet in his grasp.
"Ah, Draco." He said, seemingly calm. It felt, though, like the calm before the storm.
"Father, I..." Draco began, his voice trembling.
"Explain what the hell this is." his father said, referring to the article.
Draco opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by Harry.
"My Dear Lucius. Those are your son and I kissing. Yeah, because we love each other." He said in a mocking tone, putting emphasis on the word "love".
"But.. what? Draco?" Lucius addressed to his son. "Is he serious? How can you do this to our family name? This is an outrageous insult! My son... an abomination!" He spat in an almost undertone. He was furious.
"Father, I don't care about our name, for it is only associated with death eaters. And I never wanted to take part in that." Draco said in a serious tone.
Harry noticed that his boyfriend was sweating, but he was proud of him for standing up to his father that way.
"What are you saying? This is just brainwashing that this dirty homosexual performed! If you do not intend to drop this act, I will disown you." The oldest of the Malfoys in the room threatened.
And Draco knew that he was serious. This was the moment in which he had to choose between his family and his boyfriend. He took a long breath, then he spoke, "Do it, if you dare. You always wanted me to turn into you, but I will tell you... I am NOT willing to do that. I am gay and in love with Harry." As Draco finished talking, he took Harry's hand in his own.
Lucius gasped. "This is disrespecting your own blood! You should be ashamed of yourself. Think of mother... she almost fainted upon reading this article!"
"No, Lucius." Harry intervened. "You should be ashamed... I shouldn't have spoken in your favor at your trial, I should have let you rot in Azkaban!"
"Potter, you can't help ruining families, can you? You're disgusting! Cru-" Lucius was going to cruciate him, but he was unable to, as Professor Slughorn disarmed him. "Mr Malfoy," he said "I have to ask you to leave these premises, now."
Lucius put his wand down, glaring at Harry and his son."Draco, if you ever decide to come home, I swear to you I will kill you." he said, then he left.
"I won't!" Draco yelled to his dad. Then, he buried his face in Harry's neck and let out a sob.
The Gryffindor held him close."Shh," he cooed. "It's for the best."
"I lost my family, Harry!" The Slytherin cried, wetting Harry's robe with his tears.
"It will be alright." Harry whispered. "I know the feeling."
When the two of them went back to the Great Hall, they were cornered by Blaise and Goyle.
"Here it is, the happy couple!" Goyle's voice boomed. "You think you're so cool because you kissed in front of everyone? The truth is you're simply dirty homos."
"These fairies thinking they can change the world." Blaise agreed.
Draco was surprised at the way Goyle was talking to him. He never would have done it a year before. He wanted to threaten him, but he was far too distraught to do so. So, he ignored him.
"Get. Lost. Now." Harry ordered, putting himself in front of his boyfriend, shielding him with his body.
"We're not afraid of you, Potter." Blaise said. "You are just a pompous shit who struts around saying that he saved the world. But you're just a fairy, is all that you are." He said in a disgusted voice.
"You better stay away from us, Zabini." Harry said sternly, he then put his hand on his pocket.
Blaise tried to argue, but Goyle tugged on his arm. Draco smiled because he saw fear creeping up on Gregory's face. "Let's go, Blaise." Goyle said, "These fairies are not worth getting detention over." But both Harry and Draco knew that this was his fear speaking. He had become a scared little shit upon thinking that Harry was taking his wand out. After all, Harry had defeated the darkest wizard of all time.
"Mr and Mrs Weasley, I'm sure you already know why you're here." Said the Headmistress.
Arthur, Molly and Ginny were all in her office to discuss what Ginny had done the day before.
Her fate was still unknown, though the girl was dreading expulsion.
"Yes, Minerva, I received your owl. And I can't even begin to express how sorry I am on behalf of my daughter. I can assure you, she had never behaved like this in her life before." Molly said dryly.
"Mum, I..." Ginny murmured.
"Ginevra, this is not how I raised you. I was also shocked at the news of Harry and Malfoy - believe me, it is hard to accept, also because I didn't know about your breakup, but that is no way an excuse to attempt at ruining his life like this. Do you even know what that could do to a person?" Molly reprimanded her daughter. She was very, very disappointed in her,
Arthur looked at his daughter, but he didn't say a word. He was far too aghast.
"Your daughter," McGonagall began "should face expulsion, but we firmly believe in second chances. Therefore, she will only be punished with a year-long detention. She will be helping mr Filch with the cleaning of the castle."
Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. It was not that appealing, but at least it was better than being expelled.
After her parents left, Ginny ran to the Great Hall. She was determined to apologise to Harry and Draco. She had done something terrible to them. Sure, Harry had hurt her, but he didn't deserve this. She wondered if she had become a bad person. She wasn't positive that she would gain Harry's forgiveness, but she knew that her own forgiveness was far from being achieved.
How could she had done something this serious to a person that she had once loved? She could have been a mature girl and accepted Harry's detachment, maybe now they would have been friends. But no, she had to go and ruin everything out of jealousy.
"Harry!" She called for him when she entered the room.
"Don't speak to me, Ginny." Harry said in a dry tone.
"But-"
"Ginny," Hermione interrupted her. "I don't know if you know this, but Draco's family has just disowned him, because of you. So, if I were you, I wouldn't show my face around here."
"Oh, I didn't think..." Ginny said. She was very ashamed of herself, more than she had been the day before.
"You knew this was going to hurt us." Harry said. "Don't you dare sit here with us. Oh, and consider yourself out of the Quidditch team."