Someday
The lake was quiet in the early evening, the sky streaked with the soft pinks and golds of a fading sunset. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp grass and the last whispers of summer, and the water lapped gently at the shore as Draco leaned back against Harry’s chest, tucked between his legs.
Harry’s arms were looped lazily around his waist, broad and warm, and Draco found himself absently tracing patterns over the tanned skin of Harry’s forearm. The quiet between them was comfortable, familiar.
“This is disgustingly romantic,” Draco muttered after a moment, tilting his head slightly to glance up at Harry.
Harry smirked, resting his chin on Draco’s shoulder. “It’s not my fault you’re a sap.”
Draco scoffed. “I’m the sap? You’re the one who practically dragged me out here like some lovesick schoolboy.”
“You are a schoolboy,” Harry pointed out, grinning against his shoulder. “And you didn’t exactly complain.”
Draco huffed but didn’t move away. “Well, I figured if I’m going to be courted, I might as well be courted properly.”
Harry chuckled, squeezing him just a little tighter. “Oh, so I’m courting you now?”
Draco turned his head just enough to catch Harry’s gaze, his lips curling at the corners. “You mean you’re not?”
Harry stared at him for a beat before sighing dramatically. “Merlin. Guess I’ll have to buy you flowers and write you poetry now.”
Draco gasped, mock scandalized. “Potter, if you even attempt poetry, I will break up with you on the spot.”
Harry laughed, low and warm. “Noted.”
They sat in silence for a while, Draco absentmindedly playing with Harry’s fingers where they rested against his stomach.
Eventually, Harry murmured, “Do you ever think about what comes next?”
Draco blinked, caught slightly off guard. He shifted, twisting a little so he could see Harry properly. “What, like after Hogwarts?”
Harry nodded. “Yeah. I mean... I don’t know. It feels weird, doesn’t it? Thinking about a future when for so long, we weren’t sure if we’d even have one.”
Draco was quiet for a moment. Then, with uncharacteristic softness, he said, “Yeah. It does.”
Harry studied him, searching his face. “Do you?”
Draco tilted his head. “Do I what?”
“Think about it,” Harry said. “The future. What you want.”
Draco exhaled, thoughtful. “I suppose I do,” he admitted. “Not in great detail, mind you, but... I suppose I’d like a life that feels like mine. Something quiet for a change.”
Harry smiled a little. “That doesn’t sound very you.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean boring. Just... something that doesn’t feel like I’m being forced into it.” He hesitated, then added, “And I suppose if you’re there, that wouldn’t be so terrible either.”
Harry’s heart clenched, warmth flooding his chest. He nudged Draco’s cheek with his nose. “You suppose?”
Draco smirked. “I suppose.”
Harry grinned, kissing the corner of his mouth. “And what about, I don’t know... family?”
Draco raised a brow. “My mother would murder me if I didn’t provide her with at least one heir, so I suppose I’ll have to think about it at some point.”
Harry snorted. “So you’d want kids?”
Draco hummed. “Maybe. Eventually. But only if I can pass them off to you the moment they start crying.”
Harry laughed. “Great parenting strategy, Malfoy.”
Draco smirked. “I think it’s genius.”
Harry was quiet for a second, then, more hesitantly, he murmured, “I think I’d want that. A family, I mean.”
Draco glanced at him, his teasing fading just slightly. “Yeah?”
Harry nodded, his fingers tightening against Draco’s. “Yeah.”
Draco watched him, something softer in his gaze now. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, he leaned dramatically against Harry’s chest. “Fine. I suppose I could allow that.”
Harry grinned, pressing a kiss to Draco’s temple. “You suppose?”
Draco smirked. “Yes, Potter. I suppose.”
And Harry just laughed, holding him closer, and for the first time, the future didn’t feel so uncertain after all.