Chapter 46 Draco
Chapter 46 Draco
Draco nudged Dudley playfully with his foot.
‘Shall we swim?’
Dudley’s eyes were closed, he smiled and nodded but didn’t open them.
Draco stood up excitedly and began to undress, he noticed that Dudley had opened his eyes to watch him. He secretly felt quite smug, he liked that Dudley seemed to find his body attractive. He surreptitiously flexed his abs just to watch Dudley’s eyebrows raise. Once he was naked Draco knelt down again and took off Dudley’s shoes and socks. He pulled off Dudley’s underwear and his trousers, they were still collected in a mess around his ankles where Draco had pushed them down earlier.
‘Come on.’ Draco urged offering Dudley his good hand, Dudley took it and Draco pulled him up. Dudley let out a small groan at the movement. Once they were both up Draco quickly pecked Dudley on the cheek before turning and bolting into the river. The water was frigid, it only reached Draco’s calves near the bank but further into the middle it was much deeper, Draco headed for the deeper waters. Behind him he heard Dudley gasp at the icy coldness of the water. It was slightly unfair, Dudley was still recovering but Draco was sure he could handle a gentle swim, the current was not strong.
‘Fuck me draco! It’s freezing!’
Draco let out a giggle, he honestly didn’t care about the temperature, there was nothing that could ruin this moment, he felt like electricity was coursing through his veins lighting him up from within.
‘Wuss!’ He shouted back.
The water trickled past him, the current was stronger in the middle of the river but still weak. He flexed his toes in the pebbles and silt that formed the river bed.
Dudley eventually caught up to him. He approached Draco, his large arms embracing him from behind, Dudley planted a firm kiss on the nape of his neck and Draco melted, something about Dudley disarmed him completely. Never before in his life had Draco felt truly safe the way he did when Dudley’s arms were around him.
‘I’m so happy.’ Draco said as he leaned his head back onto Dudley’s shoulder, a simple truth and all that Draco could think to say in the moment.
‘Me too.’ Dudley replied kissing him again.
‘Thankyou for bringing me here.’
They swam for as long as they could before the cold got too much for Dudley. Eventually he admitted defeat and they dressed hurriedly on the bank. The two of them walked back to the cabin together, Dudley was definitely moving slightly easier, his wound was healing, he would need to cut the floss out soon.
They arrived back and Dudley made them some lunch. They wiled away the afternoon reading and talking. Doing nothing felt like being busy with Dudley, he was so alive, so vibrant that Draco felt more alive just being close to him.
Draco sat on the sofa with his head on Dudley’s lap looking out the window as the sun went down. It was a mess of yellows and oranges spilled haphazardly across the horizon. Rain had begun to fall in slow heavy droplets that made loud splatting sounds as they hit the roof. Draco could imagine the smell of the moisture hitting the dry earth.
Draco was struck by a memory of his nanny playing music on a small radio on a similar rainy evening many years ago. He hopped up and sped to the kitchen to see if he could find it.
‘Draco? Are you okay?’
Dudley called from the living room as Draco hurriedly opened and shut drawers looking for that small brown contraption. Growing frustrated he finally located it underneath the sink behind a faded bottle of bleach. Would it still work after all these years? He ran back through to Dudley holding the radio above his head in triumph.
‘Music Dudley!’
‘No way!’ Dudley’s eyes lit up and he awkwardly stood up.
Draco unplugged the lamp from the side table and slammed the radio into the socket. It crackled to life, static coming from the speaker. Draco tried to tune the thing but it was tricky it didn’t seem to want to pick up any stations.
‘Let me try.’ Dudley said bending down over the radio.
After a few frustrating minutes they found a station. A posh male voice announced the next piece of music as Rachmaninoff’s vocalise, a duet on the piano and cello.
Draco had no great love for classical music, he had been dragged to many boring concerts in his youth but he was convinced that this was the most moving and beautiful piece of music ever recorded. The strings burst forward, the piano a steady melody in the background. The instruments danced around each other. The music was both completely new and startlingly familiar. They both listened quietly for a moment as the crackling sound filled the room. Dudley placed a heavy hand on Draco’s shoulder and Draco touched it with his own hand. Dudley urged Draco into a standing position, angling Draco’s body so that they were looking at one another. Draco was brimming with emotion, joy and happiness but also an inevitable sadness, he knew they would have to leave soon, this bliss couldn’t last much longer. He wanted to grab hold of Dudley and never let him go. He wanted to live in this moment forever, the dim light, the rain on the window, the yearning melancholy of the music, Dudley alive and in his arms where he belonged.
Dudley pulled Draco’s arms up and around his shoulders, then he placed his own hands around Draco’s waist and began to slowly rock them from side to side. Draco was slightly dumbfounded but he liked it. Dudley pulled him close and their bodies pressed together, breaths warm on each others faces. Draco let his head fall onto Dudley’s shoulder and Dudley’s fingers found their way across Draco’s back and into his hair. Draco found that he was deflating, sighing he let Dudley direct them slowly and gently around the room.
They danced together in the dim room until the music ended. Draco could see last of the sunset disappearing behind the horizon as Dudley turned them in lazy circles.
They made their way through to their bedroom later on that night. Dudley clambered into the bed with a groan then laid there motionless for a moment.
‘I want to do for you what you did for me.’
Dudley was starting straight ahead pointedly not looking at Draco. Draco took a moment to understand what Dudley was saying.
‘Oh.’ Draco replied.
‘But I can’t… yet.’
‘That’s okay. You don’t have to you know? I did that because I wanted to do it. You don’t need to do something because you feel like you owe it to me. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Ever.’
‘I know. That’s the thing. I do want to do it. I just… I think I just need some more time. It’s complicated.’
‘You don’t need to apologise Dudley.’
‘Okay.’ He turned his head to make eye contact.
‘Are you sure you won’t go to shell cottage Dudley? I have to return but you don’t. You could be safe there.’ Draco couldn’t help but ask, the question just sort of slipped out. Draco tried not to sound as desperate as he felt.
‘I thought I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do?’
‘You don’t.’
‘Then I won’t. I’m going back with you.’
‘Alright.’ Draco was both relieved and disappointed.
‘I love you.’ Dudley said.
‘I love you too.’ Draco returned.
Dudley quickly fell into a deep sleep. He was on his back and breathing heavily, almost a snore but not quite. Draco was wide awake watching him in the cool light of the moon streaming through the open bedroom window. Dudley was a miracle and Draco was content to just be near him, to bathe in some of the warm light that radiated from him. He couldn’t quite grasp that someone as special as Dudley loved him. He had half convinced himself that he was unloveable, he had been ready to live a boring life, ready to marry the boring, appropriate woman that his father would have found for him, but Dudley had walked into his life and set it on fire, set him on fire. There was nothing else on earth that he wanted. Dudley was everything.
Two days later they couldn’t seem to think of a reason to delay their return. They had to destroy the horcrux and didn’t know how much time they had left.
They got their stories straight: Dudley managed to escape the night Harry arrived, taken by another house elf. Draco had been pursuing him and finally found him camping on the edge of the new forest.
‘Draco?’ Dudley asked. They were sat together on the garden bench.
‘Mmm?’
‘When we get back… they’re going to be angry at me. They might hurt me again. I know it’s hard but I need you to let them… again.’
Draco knew this, he had been trying to ignore it.
‘Why do I always have to watch you get hurt?’
‘When we win, and Voldemort is dead. You won’t have to. Ever again. Okay?’
Draco had to bite his tongue not to beg Dudley to leave now for Shell Cottage.
‘What if they try to kill you?’
‘I don’t think they will. If they do, you need to remind them that I’m holding secrets, keep them intrigued by that wall in my head, I know Voldemort is interested in it. I think he will hurt me but he won’t kill me, he’s too curious.’
‘If they try… if they try to kill you I will stop them. Fuck everything else, I won’t let them have you.’
Dudley smiled and kissed Draco gently on the lips.
Draco stood on the doorstep of Codwig Cabin the next morning. They had decided to try apparating back. Draco was almost back to his full strength and his practice attempts had worked. He had spent the previous afternoon apparating backwards and forwards increasingly larger distances. He was sure he could get them both back to the manor safely now. The ring was safely in his back pocket. Dudley’s hand was safely in his.
‘Ready?’ Dudley asked looking down at him.
‘Ready.’ Draco replied.