Chapter 39
The first few minutes of the drive back were silent. Harry can feel his eyes sting with tears.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Harry mutters.
Draco is silent for a couple of moments and Harry can almost feel the way his boyfriend saw him changing, “Pull over.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” Draco says firmly, “Pull over.”
Harry pulls onto the shoulder of the road and Draco gets out of the car.
***
Draco walks around to the driver's side of the car and slams the door open.
“Harry James Potter.” Draco full names his boyfriend for the second time that day, “I can practically hear your thoughts and I’ll tell you right now I don’t like them.”
He pulls Harry into a firm kiss and is pleased with the way his boyfriend practically melts into him, “You are so strong, love, and today has been a messy exhausting day, we’re going to go home, have a bath, and then a movie marathon on the couch.”
Harry nods into Draco’s shoulder, “Okay.”
“Is there a way to get the car back without driving?” Draco asks, “It’s dreadfully slow.”
Harry steps out of the drivers seat and mutters something in the language of magic and the car disappears with a low hum.
Harry grabs Dracos hand and apparates them back to Hogwarts.
Draco walks to the bathroom and starts the water filling in the tub while Harry follows him quietly. Peeling the clothes off his body and standing there in all his naked glory, Harry stands and watches him put bath soaps and the like into the tub until a gentle foam settles at the top of the water.
Draco guides him to step in and Harry settles into the water with a sigh, “Thank you.”
Draco just hums gently, slipping his glasses off, hooking them on his shirt, and pushing Harrys hair beneath the water.
He summons a stool and sits beside the tub.
“You’re so beautiful Harry,” Draco says softly, pouring shampoo into his hand and scrubbing it through Harry’s hair, “I’m so lucky.”
Harry flushes beautifully and sinks beneath the water. As if his students can sense when they’re not wanted, a knock on the door sounds.
Harry starts to rise from the water but Draco shushes him and presses him back down, “I’ll see what they want.”
At the door is second year, making shaky wand motions for what looks like a very iffy revelio.
“Professor Malfoy? I was looking for Professor Potter I had some questions about Revelio?” The student trails off looking a bit concerned.
***
The student had never seen Proffesor Malfoy look so tired. He was leaning against the doorframe with Professor Potters glasses on his shirt watching them with tired eyes.
“If its a bad time I could ask him in class tomorrow?” They offered, but even as they tried an equally tired Professor Potter emerges, squinting, from behind wearing low slung pants and a black hoodie with green and silver embrodiery.
As they took in the sight of their usually lively professor they noticed a bright handprint on his face. Who dared hit Professor Potter?
Professor Potter throws on a strained smile and summons his wand to his hand, which he fumbles to catch, the student had never seen Professor Potter genuinely fumble before “Revelio was it?”
“Lo-,” Professor Malfoy breaks off shooting the student a glance, looking pained, “I thought you were in the bath.”
“I always have time to help,” The professors seem to have a silent conversation with eachother before Professor Malfoy sighs, “Revelios not all that hard once you get the hang of it-”
The student can’t help but cut him off, “Should you go to Madam Pomfrey sir?”
He gestures towards the hand print on his face.
Professor Potters eyes widen in an almost afraid way, his hand slowly rising to touch his fingertips to his cheek, which is ridiculous, the Savior of The WIzarding World? Afraid to go to Madam Pomfrey? Thats impossible. He’s too strong to be afraid of something like that.
“Nothing an epsicky won’t fix,” Professor Malfoy says, tapping his wand on Professor Potters cheek, the red mark fades away, “I’ll help them with the revelio, Harry, go sit down.”
Professor Potters chest was rising and falling rapidly and his eyes look glassy as he turns around. He bumps into a wall as he passes, pushing up the glasses that were currently not on his face.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know I shouldn’t mention it.” The second year apologizes.
“Its alright, its been a long day, lets work on that revelio.”
***
Draco walks back into the apartment to find his boyfriend pressing his face into his knees on the couch gasping for air.
He squats down in front of him, “Lets have that movie marathon in bed,”
Harry looks up with red rimmed eyes and nods.
Draco guides his boyfriend to the bedroom, snagging the laptop as he passed.
“I’m going to get changed, choose a movie,”
***
Harry settles on the Lord of the Rings, it came out relatively recently and he’s already seen it a million times.
When Draco crawls into bed, placing Harrys glasses on tho the bedside table, Harry immediately curls into him and when Draco wraps around him without hesitation he feels like home.
Harry doesn’t think he’s ever felt anything like it. He thought hogwarts felt like home all those years ago, he thought the burrow did. But nothing could ever compare what he was feeling right now. Panic seeped out of his bones, replaced by warmth, trust and safety.
It doesnt take long at all for Harry to fall asleep in the crook of Dracos arm.
***
Draco loves the man lying in his arms. More then words could ever describe. As his boyfriend snores away in his arms, Draco slips a hand under the sweater Harry had stolen from him and traces circles against his ribs. Finally allowing himself to get absorbed into the movie he reveals in the closeness.