ao3 author: JulietsEmoPhase
summary: On his birthday, Draco lets Harry take him on a walk in the park, even though he doesn't want any fuss. Not really.
Draco Malfoy let himself be jostled along the tourist laden streets of Greenwich, London, keeping a firm eye on the head of black hair bobbing in front of him. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” he asked, stepping around a woman clutching onto several excitable children, dripping ice cream down their hands in the hot June sun.
Harry glanced over his shoulder with that smile that still made Draco’s insides flutter, and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Yeah I’m sure,” he said cheerily, delving back into the crowd, attention once more on the A-Z map book in his hand as they pushed towards the old naval collage. He obviously couldn’t get his wand out in front of all these Muggles, but Draco was still a little dubious that they were really going the right way.
Harry, probably sensing his hesitation, reached back instinctively and laced his fingers with Draco’s, pulling him along in his wake. Nerves gave Draco’s gut a little tremor, but no one seemed to mind the two men holding hands. Never the less, Draco kept his eyes open. Harry was so cavalier, so understanding, he didn’t seem to grasp that even in this day and age people weren’t always kind to guys like them. But Draco guessed that was just one of the many things he loved about him.
“Look,” Harry beamed, pointing over at the grand old building. “That’s where they filmed bits of the last Thor, and Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Draco rolled his eyes. Trust Harry to be thinking about Johnny Depp and Chris Hemsworth. “You know they also had the Equestrian events of the last Olympics here too,” he said scornfully.
Harry tugged his hand and grinned back at him. “That’s why we’re going to the park,” he said, turning them right, past a couple of waiting red double-decker busses and a fish and chips shop that smelt wondrous. The throng of people had thinned along this road a little, and Harry dropped back to walk side by side with Draco, A-Z still an inch in front of his nose, Draco’s hand gripped possessively with his. Draco rubbed his knuckles with his thumb, enjoying Harry’s enthusiasm.
No matter how hard he tried, Draco just couldn’t convince Harry that he didn’t want a fuss made on his birthday. No party, no presents, no nothing. But every year since they’d been together Harry had given him puppy dog eyes, distraught at not being able to spoil Draco the way Draco spoiled him, and every year he found himself relenting to something simple. A dinner, a trip away, little but thoughtful presents. He knew Harry was only doing it out of love, so he was able to lessen the tightening in his chest at the prospect of being centre of attention, of being worthy of such affection.
But only because he loved Harry back. Everyone else had been scared off over the years, and that was the way Draco liked it.
They crossed the road and headed towards a large pair of wrought iron gates set into high fencing, Greenwich Park visibly sprawling out behind them. Draco figured there were many worse ways to spend his birthday than a walk in the sunshine with his keen but over-animated boyfriend, so he inhaled the air fragrant with food from the market, and relaxed.
“There we go,” said Harry triumphantly as they passed by the gates and the swarm of people queuing up at another ice cream stall. He shoved the A-Z into his back pocket and gave Draco’s hand a squeeze as he looked over at him proudly.
“Yes,” drawled Draco good humouredly. “You’ve managed to get us to one of the largest parks in London. Well done.”
Harry just poked his tongue between his teeth and swung their hands back and forth a few times. “Come on, let’s go to the observatory at the top.” He steered them along one of the many paths that snaked up the hills that formed the central focus of the park; the age old observatory.
“Paddy would have loved this,” Draco mused, noting the dozens and dozens of dogs frolicking around with their owners. Padfoot was their seven month old wolfhound that Harry had insisted on buying despite Draco’s protests. And Draco had kept up those protests, loudly, no matter how many times Harry caught the two of them wrestling on the carpet, or Draco sneaking Paddy food from the table, or Paddy on Draco’s belly falling asleep on the sofa.
Harry laughed. “You know he’d be an utter hooligan and would most likely be beating up all the little terriers by now.” He switched paths again and kept them going towards the top of the hill. “Today’s about you. We can bring him next time to pick up his ASBO.”
The climb was a bit more demanding than Draco would have initially thought, and by the time they reached the peak some twenty minutes later they were hot but happy in the sunshine, wiping their foreheads and looking out at the spectacular view before them.
“Wow,” said Draco.
“I feel like I can see half of London,” Harry agreed, then turned to look back at the observatory behind them. “No wonder they stuck a big telescope up here.”
“Where’s our house then?” Draco said, squinting as he took in Canary Wharf, the O2 and even the Shard glinting in the distance.
He’d been joking, but Harry pulled out the A-Z again and turned on the spot. “Hmm,” he said after a minute of flicking pages. Battersea’s…that way,” he said, pointing behind the redbrick domed observatory. “I think.”
He was such a dork sometimes, and Draco felt his heart ache a little. He was his dork though, so that was okay. He risked pulling Harry towards him and planting a kiss on the side of his head, taking in the tangy apple smell of his shampoo still lingering on his hair.
Harry looked up at him bashfully, and slipped the book back into his jeans. Silently, he lead them a small way away from the gaggles of tourists taking photos, over to a large oak tree to their right. In the shade of the branches it suddenly felt a little quieter, and Draco relaxed again.
“You know why they call it Greenwich Mean Time?” he asked, his interest on Draco’s hand in his.
Draco thought it was a bit of an odd question, but he looked back over at the old building and considered. “Well, this is where they measure time isn’t it? All the other time zones are based on how they record it here.”
He turned back to see Harry was obviously quite thrilled with his answer. “Exactly,” he said. “This is where they make time, this is where time starts.”
Draco chuckled at him. “I’m not sure that’s exactly how it works,” he said. “But yeah, I get what you’re saying.”
Harry wasn’t deterred though, he bit his lip and carried on. “It just seemed a good spot to talk about new beginnings. Fresh starts.”
Something on Draco’s face must have betrayed the icy dread that slipped down his insides, because Harry suddenly looked mildly horrified.
“Oh, no!” he said hastily, waving his free hand. “No that sounds like a break up or something, oh crap, no, not a break up, urgh I’m saying this all wrong.”
Draco immediately sagged in relief, but Harry still looked a little fraught. So Draco exhaled the tension he’d unnecessarily accrued, and took his other hand. It wasn’t fair Harry felt pressure to try and make him feel better about his birthday, he really needed to be less of a grumpy git about it all.
Now they were hand in hand, Harry looked like he became more at ease too. “What I meant,” he tried again, looking up at Draco with his beautiful green eyes. “Is this is where they make the time, this is where time comes from. So it seemed to be a nice metaphor for us, making up for lost time, taking second chances.”
Where something cold had gripped him a minute previous, Draco now found himself warming up at Harry’s words, thinking of that chance meeting at Diagon Ally a couple of years after school had finished.
Harry seemed to sense his was on the right track this time, and carried on. “You know, I so nearly didn’t come talk to you that day,” Harry said softly. “Let alone ask you out for coffee. And If I hadn’t…”
“If you hadn’t,” Draco supplied, pulling their bodies a touch closer together. “We never would have realised what idiots we used to be. And how much we really had in common.”
Harry nodded and swallowed. “Time heals all wounds.”
Draco let his hands go to envelope him in a hug, not caring if anyone was paying them attention. “Yes it does,” he said, resting his head against Harry’s, closing his eyes and letting himself feel that happiness, feel how whole he had become since the day he had stopped fighting Harry Potter and let him into his life.
He released him but still stood close, touching his cheek briefly, skimming his finger tips along the cotton of his t-shirt before fiddling with the hem.
“This is actually a pretty awesome birthday present,” he said affectionately.
Harry crooked an eyebrow. “But you don’t like birthday presents,” he challenged.
Draco shrugged. “I’ll make an exception for good metaphors.”
Harry gave him a funny look and took a deep breath. “Well tough,” he said. “Because this isn’t a birthday present.”
In one swift movement he reached into his other pocket, the one without the A-Z, pulled something out…
And got down on one knee.
Draco froze in shock as several of the Muggles around them noticed with audible gasps. In his hand, Harry carefully opened the navy box he’d got from his jeans, to reveal a simple gold band, nestled in the indent of the cushion.
More Muggles were watching, some with hands over their mouths, some with camera phones held out in front of them, but Draco barely registered them. His whole focus was on Harry, balanced on his knee, offering him a ring.
“Draco Lucius Malfoy,” he said, his voice wavering only slightly. “You make me so happy, I can’t imagine my life without you. Past, present and future, you’re my everything. Will you marry me?”
Draco could feel the lump in his throat, the rush of blood in his ears, and it took him a second to remember how to use his voice. “Yes,” he stammered. “Yes of course.”
The crowd, because there was a little crowd by now, burst into applause as Harry jumped to his feet and threw his arms around Draco. Draco buried his face his neck, trying to rub away the tears but there was no chance. Harry had made a fool of him in front of all these strangers and he couldn’t have been happier.
At least when Harry pulled back Draco could see his face was wet too as he grinned and laughed. His hand shaking a little, he fished out the ring, and slipped it onto Draco’s finger. “It’s my dad’s wedding ring,” Harry rasped, raising sparkling eyes to meet Draco’s.
He knew he looked shocked, but Harry wrapped both his hands around Draco’s left one, pressing together so he could feel the band heavy on his finger. “Harry,” he tried. It was too much.
“I want you to have it,” Harry insisted.
By that point several of the Muggles had obviously decided they’d had enough of a moment, and had moved in crying their congratulations. They took photos, wanted to see the ring, and Draco found himself stuttering through several questions like how had they met, how long had they been together?
Having been afraid to hold hands earlier, he was becoming a bit more forgiving of the British public in the wake of all this goodwill.
“Um,” said a cute looking blonde with an American accent. She drew Harry’s attention, which drew Draco’s in turn. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said shyly, holding up her smart phone. “But I got it all on film. Would you like me to send you a copy?”
Harry looked delighted and yanked out his own phone, navigating with the girl so she could transfer the video to him, however Muggles did it. Draco wasn’t really paying attention though.
His hand was back in Harry’s, his ring, James Potter’s ring, solid and cool on their skin. He was Harry’s. Harry was his.
Forever.
He looked up at the observatory and out over Greenwich and London. Maybe this really was the place where time began?
End