Chapter Text
~~~
Days pass by quite slowly afterwards.
It’s mostly thanks to Dobby, who has kept his word and never told anybody about Harry’s whereabouts.
Living with Malfoy is exceptionally easy. Yes, they keep bickering practically all the time, but it’s never so serious Harry would want to leave.
They stay in the remote mansion most of the time, taking strolls outside, endlessly talking.
Long conversations with no malice, only some sarcastic or teasing remarks every now and then.
That’s how Harry learns the details of Draco being forced to be a Death Eater, how he was brought into this hoping to become someone. How quickly he learnt what following Voldemort would entail.
Harry on the other hand fills him in on his search for the horcruxes, talking to the ghosts of his parents through a Ressurection Stone, about Snape...
Then it’s their childhood, life in Hogwarts, why they behaved this way or another, old school dramas that Draco knows inside out.
The more they talk, the more Harry gets attached to the other boy, the more he understands his toxic traits and tries to find a way to neutralize them.
It’s highly unlikely Draco will ever change, but it’s not that Harry even believes he will. It doesn't mean he can't try.
The main source of information about the current situation is The Daily Prophet, which Draco occasionally steals from his parents.
Sitting with his Spell Book on top of an endless grassland, Harry disinterestedly peeks at the newspaper thrown next to him.
‘They’re looking for you.’ Malfoy mutters, stopping beside him with hands in his pockets.
Taking the paper in hands, Harry unfolds it on the front page to see his own picture and a huge MISSING caption.
‘So McGonagall is the new Headmistress…’ Harry says calmly, skimming through the text.
'She absolutely deserves it.'
Malfoy doesn’t say anything, turning around and snapping his fingers once.
The next moment, one of the House Elves appears on the meadow behind them.
Harry glances back, pressing his lips tightly.
He can’t watch how pitiful those creatures look in those rags.
‘Bring me some snacks and a chair.’ The blonde mutters, and the House Elf nods humbly.
When she disappears, Harry turns away and adjusts his glasses.
It’s clear he’s not pleased.
‘What?’ Draco asks, and before he finishes speaking, there’s already a chair waiting for him.
Making himself comfortable, Malfoy takes the drink from the small table beside him, his pale eyes squinted from the sun that has now peeked through the clouds.
‘You are not being angry because of them, are you?’ Draco snorts, finally realizing.
‘You literally have your own House Elf.’
‘I freed Kreacher — he just doesn’t want to accept it.’ Harry mutters in reply, reluctant to even look at him.
‘Malfoys claim to be so wealthy and yet they can’t afford a galleon per week to pay elves for their hard work. That’s pathetic.’
Draco sits up in his chair, visibly offended.
‘Do you think I have any power over that? When I was a kid, my father nearly killed me when I freed one of them.’
‘He wouldn’t kill you.’ Harry says flatly, reaching back with his memory to a certain event.
‘But he nearly killed me when I tricked him into freeing Dobby. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today.’
Leaning forward in his chair, Malfoy is lost in thought for a while before he says,
‘Father believes that the contract is the only way to reassure safety in the house. With each elf ‘lost’, the rest have more work.’
Harry doesn’t really take that explanation, and so he doesn’t grace him with an answer.
‘But if it makes you feel better, I’ll talk to him about… their salary…’ Malfoy mutters.
Finally turning to him, Harry is still squinting his bright green eyes from the sun.
‘I didn’t know you cared so much about my feeling well.’
Locking eyes with him, Draco seems slightly annoyed.
‘I’ve always known you don’t think highly of me, Potter, but I didn’t know it was this bad.’ he snarls, his voice deprived of real malice.
‘As if I wouldn’t care about my man’s mood….’
Harry’s heart skips a beat, and puzzled, he averts his gaze from him.
They’ve never put a label on whatever it is between them, and the words coming right from Draco’s mouth make Harry feel some kind of way.
Light breeze tousles the boy’s black hair into even a greater mess, and soon enough a familiar pale hand rests on it, running his fingers through it.
Such simple yet intimate gestures are still something Harry is getting used to, but damn do they feel pleasant…
Maybe he doesn’t look like it, but Draco is quite a touchy person. Without a word, he will put a hand on the small of his back or nape, or press a swift kiss to Harry’s cheek, going about his routine the very next moment.
Each time Harry’s heart swells, and he tries to convince himself it doesn’t mean anything.
‘Blimey… I forgot.’ Draco mutters, summoning the House Elf again.
‘What is it, Master?’ the same elf asks quietly, her round eyes big and hesitant.
‘Bring it here.’ Draco says, and the elf nods as if knowing exactly what he is talking about.
‘Wait.’ Malfoy mutters, and the elf freezes with fingers ready to snap.
Pulling out of his cheque book, Draco hastily fills one page.
‘Here, buy yourself and the others new shoes and better clothing.’
The House Elf gapes at him as if he was speaking a foreign language, and Harry watches the situation from the side with a warming heart.
‘Take it and go.’ Draco insists annoyedly, quickly adding.
‘And bring the thing.’
Having no other choice, the House Elf accepts the cheque, and holding it like a rare relic, she pops her lips open at the number on it.
‘R-Right away, Master!’ she exclaims then, disapperating the next second.
Harry doesn’t manage to comment before the elf reappears with a pretty large black cage and carefully puts it beside them.
They’re alone on the field once again, but there’s something moving in the cage.
Quite intrigued, Potter moves closer, noticing that the mass of black is actually a rare breed of an owl.
‘Wow, she’s beautiful...’ Harry says in awe, admiring the shiny pitch-black fur.
‘It’s him, and he’s yours.’ Draco says with a tone of a husband proud to be spoiling his wife.
‘You should let the gingerheads know that you’re alive.’
Since Hedwig died, Harry hasn’t planned on getting another owl. He never even had time to properly mourn over her loss, and he didn’t want to risk losing another pet.
But being gifted with this one, he doesn’t really want to say no, especially when Draco is right about finally notifying the Weasleys.
Pulling a quill out of his enchanted bag, Harry focuses on scrabbling a quick message, asking Hermione and Ron not to worry and tell everyone to stop looking for him.
Comfortably reclined in his chair beside him, Draco has his pale hand in Harry’s messy hair, habitually running through it and softly massaging his scalp.
It’s quite distracting now, and Harry keeps tilting his head to the side to get rid of it, adjusting his round glasses every now and then.
He also asks about Snape, curious to know if he’s back on his feet by now.
Done with annoying him, Draco has now opened the cage and takes the owl on his arm, the bird is even prettier in full sunlight.
‘Hi…’ Harry smiles at it warmly, rubbing the owl’s crooked nose as a greeting.
‘Bring the letter to the Weasley’s for me, will you?’
The owl makes a sound of agreement before he takes a fly from Draco’s arm.
Left behind in peaceful silence, they watch a mass of black feathers disappear in the horizon.
Not knowing when, a certain blonde tackles Harry to the ground, rolling in grass until the shorter boy is underneath him.
‘For Merlin’s sake!’ Harry protests, his hands and shirt all messy.
‘I’m all in ink now!’
Not caring in the slightest, the blonde tilts his head up until their eyes lock.
‘I’ll eat you.’ Draco mutters, unable to comprehend
how Potter does it that he looks so palatable. It’s impossible to hold back sometimes...
Harry lets himself be kissed with slightly open mouth, closing his eyes as he puts his hands on Draco’s face.
‘Is your father home?’ Harry mutters into the kiss.
‘You might be jesting, but I’m getting hungry for real.’
‘You’ll eventually have to talk to him anyway.’ Draco replies, lips trailing down to his neck.
Harry tilts his head to the side, wincing at the unpleasant thought.
As much as he quite enjoys Narcissa’s company, he physically can’t stand Lucius.
‘Let’s go.’ Draco mutters as he pulls away.
‘Not hungry anymore.’ Harry replies, his eyes squinted from the sunlight.
‘Fearless Potter ducking his tail because he’s scared of some old man. That’s pathetic.’
‘You nearly pissed yourself at the sight of Professor Moody, sit down.’ Harry mutters in response.
‘Besides, I’m not scared of your father, I simply want nothing to do with him.’
Malfoy gasps dramatically.
‘Crouch literally wanted me dead!’ Draco argues, scandalised.
‘Yeah, sure. You must have had a delightful time in Crab’s pantaloons.’ Harry snorts, remembering Malfoy’s ferret form.
‘Oh what I’d give to see it again...’
The next moment, a hearty slap lands on the side of his leg, only because their position makes it impossible to spank his bottom.
‘Yah!’ Harry complains, but then he’s angrily kissed again.
~~~
Hermione’s letter arrives the very same day, it’s night time when Harry unfolds it, the paper nearly rolling to the ground.
Getting ready for bed, Malfoy has enchanted the bath to stay warm, waiting for Harry to read the thing and join him.
‘Hermione wants to meet up.’ Harry concludes soon, relieved to read the last part.
‘And Snape has finally been discharged from St Mungos. I should talk to him soon.’
‘Want me to go with you?’ Draco mutters, sitting on the couch with legs crossed.
‘If you want.’ Harry says, but there’s a gulp forming in his throat.
He’s already told Draco about his mother being poisoned by James with amortentia, getting a juicy litany of curses in his father’s direction in turn.
Harry didn’t expect he’d ever confide in Malfoy about something so important to him, but talking to Draco makes him feel a lot better.
Reaching a hand out, Draco waits for Harry to take it and they head to the bathroom together.
‘Hermione says we’re expected to return to Hogwarts this year.’ Harry continues, letting the blonde disrobe him.
I’ll certainly have to retake it.’
‘I’m not coming back.’ Draco mutters, running his hands down Harry’s bare spine.
‘Nothing will convince me to return to this pigsty.’
Turning round, Harry plants a set of his sad enchanting eyes into Malfoy.
‘What are you going to do without proper education? Be an heir full time?’
It has Harry recall their conversation with Narcissa from a few weeks ago. He’s still curious to know what she meant but neither of them wants to tell him.
It sounded like some surrogacy plan to assure an heir for the Malfoy line.
And if Harry is being honest, he has nothing against it.
He’d also like to have kids in the future, and if his relationship with Malfoy works out, surrogacy will be the only way. It's common in muggle world after all...
Realizing he’s getting too far with such thoughts, Harry shakes his head back to the present.
‘I don’t know yet. I’ve been through literal hell, the last place I’d want to be right now is Hogwarts.’ Draco mumbles out in annoyance.
All bare by now, Harry gets in the bath, making himself comfortable in the pleasant warmth before the other joins him, the level of water going up again.
Resting on the opposite sides of the tub, the two young men are relaxing in soothing silence, eyes closed, legs intertwined.
‘Is your mother planning for you to bring forth an heir?’ Harry asks out of the blue,
those bright grey eyes rest on him.
Adjusting in the water, Draco rubs his toe against Harry’s side.
He closes his eyes again before saying,
‘She wants us to have a child.’
Looking to the side for a moment, Harry thinks it through slowly, wondering what is the difference between this and what he has said.
Draco opens his eyes again, looking quite smug.
‘You didn’t know it was an option?’
Harry gapes at him in silence, clearly not following. Do wizards think they're first to come up with something like this...?
‘Whatever…’ Malfoy mutters as he lies back.
‘We’ll discuss it again in a few years.’
Playing with his bottom lip, Harry irks to ask about what it is going to look like, but he decides it’s better not to know.
The rest of the night goes as usual; they start teasing each other in the bath, move things to the bed, Draco fills him up and wraps himself all over Harry with his manhood still inside.
Used to this plasurable feeling of Malfoy's hand rubbing his flat bulging stomach, Harry is tired, but he fights the slumber, wanting to prolong the moment.
Falling asleep under the pleasant weight, Harry imagines an eerie scenario.
If it was possible for two men to have a child, he wonders what their kid would look like.
~~~