The Prettiest Star
Sunday, 1 November 1998
Harry woke up feeling oddly settled. He’d been happier recently, content even. But right now, it felt like something had finally settled within his soul. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he’d finally fully accepted what it meant to be the Master of Death or that he’d gotten to talk to all the people he’d lost yesterday, but he wasn’t going to question it.
The sun was streaming through the windows, casting light and shadows across his room. He reached out for Theo and realized he was alone. Harry sat up and looked around and was about to call out Theo’s name when he heard music. Smiling, Harry rolled out of bed and pulled on the first pair of joggers he could find and wandered into the kitchen.
There he was.
His Theo, in all his Sunday morning perfection. Dark brown waves mussed from sleep, deep blue eyes shining in the morning sun. Soft skin still lightly tanned from summer.
He was shirtless, wearing a pair of Harry’s pajama pants, and Harry was fairly certain he’d never been more beautiful.
With a soft smile and lovesick eyes, Harry walked up behind Theo and wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed a kiss to Theo’s shoulder before nuzzling into the side of Theo’s neck, “you’re beautiful, you know that right?” he said, voice muffled against Theo’s skin.
Theo leaned back into Harry’s touch and let a smile spread across his face, “good morning to you, too.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“You’re the beautiful one, love,” Theo murmured, “the prettiest star.”
“Are you referencing Bowie right now?”
“I might be.”
“Merlin I love you,” Harry said, wrapping his arms tighter around Theo’s waist, “and you are beautiful, just accept the compliment.”
“If you insist,” Theo said with a light laugh, letting his eyes flutter shut as he leaned his head back against Harry’s shoulder, “how are you feeling this morning?”
“I feel good,” Harry answered, “better than I have in a while.”
“Your magic feels settled.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve told you I can sense magic right?”
“Yeah,” Harry said, pressing a soft kiss to Theo’s neck, “it’s how you always knew where I was even under the Cloak.”
“Exactly, also you sometimes forgot to silence your footsteps but that’s beside the point.”
“Damn,” Harry said with a laugh, “but what did you mean about my magic feeling settled? I feel settled, but I guess I want to know what it feels like for you.”
“I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but it always felt like you were fighting back against your magic, or holding it back in some way, and it doesn’t feel like that anymore. What happened? I could tell you were in a near panic over your power yesterday and now you seem at peace.”
“I don’t know what happened, exactly. But after I got dressed for the ritual last night I was just staring at myself in the mirror, and I realized that the person looking back at me didn’t match the image I had of myself. I was still seeing the person I used to be, afraid and powerless against everyone using him as a pawn and I finally was able to accept I wasn’t that person anymore and a large reason why I can’t be used as a pawn anymore is that I’m one of the players and the reason I’m a player is because I’m incredibly powerful.”
Harry went quiet and Theo just waited, feeling like there was something more Harry wanted to say but just couldn’t find the words quite yet.
“And then I put on the Cloak - which is a real cloak, by the way, I have to will it to be invisible when I’m wearing it now – and I looked even more powerful, imposing almost and then I pulled out the scythe and realized I was downright impressive. I think my problem with realizing I had so much power was that I’m used to powerful people controlling everyone around them, controlling me. Tom used his power to make me suffer and Dumbledore used his power to turn me into a pawn and I was afraid that if I recognized my own power I’d turn into one of them, but I finally realized that I won’t. That no matter how many parallels you could draw between any of the three of us, I am my own person, and my power is my own.”
“I’m proud of you, love.”
“Thank you, baby,” Harry said, pressing kisses up the side of Theo’s neck and jaw, “what do you want to do today?”
Theo groaned and tilted his head, giving Harry better access to his neck.
“What was that?” Harry teased, biting the junction between Theo’s neck and shoulder lightly, knowing it would drive him crazy.
Theo groaned again and pressed himself fully against Harry’s chest, “quit it love, I can’t focus.”
“I don’t think you actually want me to quit,” Harry said, pressing his hips forward and running one of his hands up Theo’s torso, settling on his chest, “I just asked what you want to do today?”
Theo closed his eyes and tried to focus, “when do we have to get Teddy?”
“Not ‘til later, Andi wanted the day with him.”
“Do we have homework?”
“Nope, got it done Friday.”
“Did we tell anyone we’d be anywhere?”
“I might have told Death I’d learn more necromancy but I’m pretty sure he can wait.”
“You’re explaining what you mean by that as soon as you’re done fucking me.”
“Merlin, Theodore,” Harry groaned, “do you know what it does to me when you talk like that?”
“I know exactly what it does to you, love, that’s why I do it.”
Harry let a low growl escape from his throat as he moved his hands to Theo’s hips and ground his hips forward.
“Harry,” Theo panted out.
“Yes?”
“Please.”
“Please what, Theodore?”
“Please touch me,” Theo was nearly whining.
“I am touching you.”
“You know what I mean, Hadrian, touch me.”
The sound of his full name on Theo’s lips was his undoing.
“Bedroom, now,” Harry said as he pushed Theo toward their bedroom door.
Harry kicked the door shut behind them and turned Theo around, pulling him flush against his chest and into a searing kiss. He walked forward until the backs of Theo’s thighs hit the side of the mattress and shoved him down onto the bed, kissing and biting his way from Theo’s lips to his neck and down his chest, travelling down to his hip.
Theo pressed his hips up, openly begging Harry to touch him.
“Needy,” Harry teased with a smirk, “patience, darling.”
Harry sucked several bruises along the line of Theo’s hips before he bit at the waistband of Theo’s pajamas and pulled them down just enough to press teasing, featherlight kisses across his pelvis. He left one hand pressing Theo’s hips into the mattress while he used the other to finish ridding him of his clothes. He kissed his way back up Theo’s thighs, pressing a lingering kiss a breath away from the base of Theo’s rapidly hardening length.
Once Theo was fully naked and writhing under Harry’s touch, he looked up with a wicked smirk and licked a line up the underside of his dick before wrapping his lips around the head and circling his tongue. He kept one hand wrapped firmly around Theo’s hip but let the other snake up his chest, ending at his jaw where he used his thumb to pull at Theo’s lower lip.
“Harry,” Theo groaned, bucking up and meeting the resistance of Harry’s hand that had his hip in a vice grip, “more, I need more.”
Harry looked up at Theo through his eyelashes as he swallowed Theo down until his nose was pressed against his pelvis.
Theo wound his fingers into Harry’s curls and let out a groan, “Merlin you’re pretty,” he murmured, his pleasure making him almost unintelligible, “so pretty, my beautiful, beautiful boy.”
Harry moaned, the vibration sending waves of pleasure through Theo’s body.
When Harry could tell he had Theo right on the edge, he pulled off and before Theo could beg for more, pulled him up by the shoulders and flipped him over so his face was buried in the pillow. Theo barely had a chance to react before Harry’s lips were travelling down his spine and his hands were spreading him open. He groaned as he felt Harry’s tongue at his entrance, pressing his hips back.
Slowly, carefully, with his tongue and fingers, Harry opened Theo up, dragging it out until Theo was begging, “more, please, love, I need you inside me.”
“Whatever you want, darling,” Harry said as he climbed to his knees and pulled Theo’s hips up. Lining himself up, he leaned down to press kisses up Theo’s spine and across his shoulders, biting down at the base of his neck as he slid in with a muffled groan.
He set a punishing pace, holding on to Theo’s hips hard enough to bruise and leaving marks with teeth and tongue across his neck, back, and shoulders until Theo yelled out his release, his muscles contracting around Harry pushing him over the edge.
Harry carefully pulled out and pressed a soft kiss to Theo’s neck and cheek as he laid down and pulled Theo close to his chest, “I love you,” he said, kissing Theo’s forehead and running his fingers through his hair, “to the moon and back.”
“I love you too,” Theo said, stretching to softly kiss Harry’s neck before nuzzling against his chest, “more than you even know.”
* * *
“Love,” Theo whispered, shaking Harry’s shoulder, “time to get up, we need to go get Teddy.”
Harry groaned and wrapped his arms tighter around Theo, “five more minutes, Theo, please?”
“Oh, alright,” Theo agreed with a soft smile, “five more minutes.”
It was a full hour later that Theo finally got Harry to stand up and get dressed so they could go to Grimmauld and get Teddy.
“Harry, are you alright?” Theo asked as he watched Harry yawn again, struggling to tie his shoes.
“I’m exhausted,” Harry admitted, “I wasn’t thinking about how much power I was using yesterday and now I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.”
“Do you mean the ritual?”
“No,” Harry said, shaking his head and biting back another yawn, “all day. The Hallows are mine now, not Death’s, which means they draw from my power. The only one that really matters is the Stone, from what I understand the Wand uses power like any other wand and the Cloak is imbued with its magic, so it doesn’t necessarily draw on a source. But I’ve only used the Stone once since it became mine or whatever, so I’ve never experienced how it uses power.”
“Do you mean to say that when the Stone was keeping ghosts on this side of the veil for hours on end yesterday, it was drawing on your power?”
“Yeah,” Harry confirmed, “and the ritual renewed me some but -”
He was cut off by Theo saying, “what do you mean the ritual renewed you?”
“I mean that it renewed me?” Harry said, looking at Theo in confusion.
“Harry, Samhain rituals are designed to renew magic itself and Death, the ritual leader is usually exhausted by the sacrifice of doing the ritual, not renewed.”
“Theo, for all intents and purposes, I am Death. I don’t like take his place or whatever, but my whole purpose is to stand at his side forever and ever amen.”
“That sounds like a lot to handle.”
“You’re telling me,” Harry said with a light laugh, “anyways, what I was saying is that even though the ritual renewed me, I was also expending power to keep every ghost that every single person talked to last night on this side of the veil, thus the whole feeling like I’ve been hit by a train thing. I don’t know why it took so long to catch up with me, but I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“Go back to bed,” Theo said with a soft smile, “I’ll go get Teddy and I’ll wake you up for dinner and then you can go back to sleep, I don’t think you’re going to get out of training tomorrow morning no matter how tired you are.”
“Really?” Harry asked, looking like he very much wanted Theo’s offer to be genuine.
“Really, love,” Theo said, cupping Harry’s cheek and kissing him softly, “go to sleep, I’ll be back in a bit.”
“I love you, so much.”
“I’m aware,” Theo said with a laugh, “I love you too.”
Harry kicked off his shoes, pulled off his clothes and dove straight into his bed, he was asleep seconds after his head hit the pillow.
Theo ran his fingers through Harry’s hair and pressed a light kiss to his forehead before heading into the living room to floo to Grimmauld.
“Hello?” he called as he stepped through the family floo.
“Theo?” Narcissa’s voice called back.
“Yeah,” he responded, stepping into the hallway, “I’m here to get Teddy, where are you?”
“In here,” she said, popping her head out into the hall from the tapestry room, smiling softly at Theo, “where’s Hadrian?”
“Asleep,” Theo told her, “he’s entirely drained from yesterday, turns out that the Stone feeds on his power, as did the ritual last night where he kept dozens of spirits on this side of the veil for several hours.”
“That boy,” Narcissa said shaking his head, “he’s alright though?”
“He’s fine,” Theo confirmed, “he was up and ready to come get Teddy himself, but he couldn’t stop yawning so I told him I’d take care of it.”
“Of course you did,” she said, patting Theo’s cheek, “such a sweet boy, come on, they’re in here.”
Theo followed Narcissa into the Tapestry Room where Andromeda was sitting by the window holding Teddy who appeared to be sleeping.
“Hello,” Theo greeted softly, Teddy shot awake at the sound of Theo’s voice and started babbling excitedly.
“Alright, Teddy,” Andromeda said with a laugh, “I get it, Grandma’s old news now that Theo’s here.”
“Hi, cub,” Theo greeted with a smile, taking Teddy from Andromeda and wrapping him in a hug, “how’s my boy?”
“He’s been great,” Andromeda answered, “thanks for letting me keep him today.”
“Of course,” Theo said, smiling at her, “it’s a good thing you did, Harry’s been asleep most of the day, I’m not sure if you overheard what I told Narcissa in the hall.”
“Something about the Stone feeding off his power?” Andromeda said, at Theo’s nod she rolled her eyes, “that boy, tell him to watch out so he doesn’t totally exhaust himself.”
“I’ll pass on the message,” Theo said with a laugh, “anything I can do for you two while I’m here?”
“No, we’re alright,” Narcissa said with a soft smile, “get home, we’ll see you again Wednesday?”
“Correct, we’ll bring him by or send him with Mimi on Wednesday afternoon and someone will come get him on Thursday.”
“Perfect,” Andromeda said, “now get home, tell Harry hello for me.”
“I will,” Theo said leaning over to kiss Andromeda’s cheek before doing the same to Narcissa and heading back into the floo room.
Theo stepped through the floo and heard the sound of Neville’s voice coming from the bedroom.
“-and, Harry, she actually laughed at my joke! She laughed, at a joke I made, it was incredible.”
Theo stuck his head through the door, half ready to scold Harry for not going to sleep and half wanting to know who Neville was talking about, but saw that Harry was dead to the world and Neville was pretty much talking to himself.
“Hey, Neville,” Theo greeted, trying not to laugh, “you’re aware he’s asleep right?”
“Oh yeah,” Neville said, grinning, “he’s a better listener when he can’t talk back.”
“You two are odd, you know that right?”
“We’re well aware,” Harry mumbled, “you woke me up, Theodore.”
“For all I know Neville has been sitting here talking your ear off the whole time I was gone and I’m the one who woke you up?”
“Exactly,” Harry said, nodding into his pillow, “how’s Ted?”
“He’s great,” Theo said, stepping the rest of the way into the room and sitting down at the foot of the bed, “you wanna open your eyes enough to see him?”
Harry rolled over, looking like he was going to sit up, only to immediately collapse with his head in Neville’s lap, “this is as good as its getting,” he said, blinking his eyes open. A sleepy grin took over his face when his eyes landed on Teddy, “hi, pup, how’s my favorite boy?”
“I thought I was your favorite boy,” Neville said with a pout.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Nev,” Harry said, not taking his eyes off Teddy.
Teddy started babbling at Harry like he was actually telling him something and Harry just nodded along as if he understood, “great story, Ted, tell you what,” he said, “you let Da go to sleep now, and I’ll hang out with you tomorrow?”
Teddy paused his babbling and looked like he was truly weighing Harry’s offer then he leaned his head against Theo’s chest and closed his eyes.
“I think he misunderstood you,” Theo said with a laugh, “guess he’s going to sleep now too.”
“Let’s all go to sleep,” Harry said, “Neville is my pillow now so good luck finding space in this bed.”
“I’ll leave once he’s asleep,” Neville said, laughing at Theo’s put out expression, “I’ve gotta finish telling him my story.”
“Who were you talking about anyways?” Theo said.
“Twin vault,” they said together.
Theo rolled his eyes but nonetheless, accepted the response, “alright, go back to sleep, love, I’ll put Teddy to bed, do you want dinner?”
“Wh’time is it?” he asked.
“4:30,” Theo answered.
“Sure,” Harry decided, “later though, sleep now.”
“Alright,” Theo said before he turned to Neville, “you want to eat with us?”
“Yeah,” Neville said with a smile, “that would be nice, thank you.”
“Sounds good, I’ll get you two later,” he said, leaning over to kiss Harry on the forehead before he stood up and walked through the bathroom to the nursery. He heard Neville say, “so, as I was saying, she laughed at my joke -”
“Big moves, Nev,” he heard Harry interrupt.
“Shut up and go to sleep,” Neville said.
Theo just shook his head and looked at Teddy, “your Da and Uncle Nev are strange, strange people, cub.”
If Teddy could talk, he probably would've agreed.