Harry sipped his mocha as he watched the time tick by. He was currently in the canteen at St. Mungo’s waiting for Draco to be done checking on his patients and give his duty over to the next attending healer.
“Hello, Harry! I apologise for the delay,” Draco said as he sat across Harry.
“That is fine. Do you want me to get you a coffee?” Harry asked, smiling brightly at Draco.
“Yes, please.” Harry was up before Draco finished the two words. He knew exactly how Draco liked his coffee. Black and pipping hot.
Once he was back with the coffee, they left the canteen, walking beside each other. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Draco started talking about his day. Harry smiled slightly. It was their routine. Harry would apparate to St. Mungo’s after his work and wait for Draco to finish his shift. Then, they’ll take their coffee and walk back home which was, thankfully, not too far away. Draco will, then, proceed to tell Harry of his day. Harry liked listening to Draco share his day with him, though he’ll not admit that he did not understand half of the medical terms that Draco used. He just liked hearing Draco.
“— we had to call Aurors upon him. I can’t believe people are willing to abuse their soulmates and ride them to their death bed.” Draco huffed as he entered through the door to their house.
Harry closed the door behind them while Draco discarded their empty paper mugs in the nearby bin. “I’ll freshen up and come, Harry.”
“Okay!” That was all he could muster to say.
Harry proceeded towards the kitchen and plopped down in one of the chairs, placing his bag on the dining slab. His gaze moved towards his ring finger, caressing it, letting out a sigh.
Witches and wizards have been blessed by Lady Magic with soulmates. Magical soulmates; who are compatible and complement each other. Sadly, a few of them weren’t lucky enough to be blessed by Lady Magic and he was one among them. He did not have a soulmate. While it wasn’t necessary to bond to your soulmates, most of them ended up with their magical soulmates because they found them compartible and happy to stay with.
While he had spent 1998 looking around at his friends and batchmates celebrate with their soulmates, he had backed himself into a shell awaiting for a soulmate mark to appear on his left ring finger. He had even consoled himself saying that nothing in his life has ever been common, so maybe he will receive a mark later in the year. But it’s been, what, six years since that and he has just accepted the fact that he was not blessed enough to have a magical soulmate.
He did not have anyone to fall in love with him for a long time. If he was sadened by that fact, he was also relieved of the same. He did not want anyone to fall in love with him because he knew he will not fall in love with that person. He was already in love with Draco. He had been for the longest time. Yes, Draco Malfoy. The once-upon-a-time Slytherin Ice Prince. The greatest ponce of Hogwarts during his time. But Harry had known he did not stand a chance with him. Why? Because Draco Malfoy had a soulmate. Blaise Zabini!
Draco had been dating Blaise Zabini for two years when Harry found himself falling for Draco Malfoy. It was at Hogwarts. Their sixth year. While Ron had given him a hard time coming to terms with his queerness, Hermione got a little awkward around him for falling for Draco. Luna had supported him and Neville kept encouraging him to talk to Draco. But he was Malfoy. And he was dating Zabini. And he was happy. So, Harry did what he thought was the best. He stepped back into the shadows. Keeping his feelings to himself and the four other people who knew of it.
Sadly, Blaise Zabini died three years back because of a stray spell. While Zabini belonged to a neutral family, he was dating a Malfoy; the biggest dark faction supporter. Draco hadn’t taken the dark mark but his father was a well-known death eater. The magical people of Britain definitely did not think pushing Lucius to Azkaban was enough for his crimes. So, they targeted his family. Seeing Draco happy with Zabini, Narcissa had moved to France. But just a couple of months later, when Draco was finally out holding his graduate as a healer, Zabini was killed with a spell meant for Malfoy.
Draco was broken. And he knew that because he was there with him. He had offered his shoulder to cry upon. They had called truce after Harry defended Draco and Narcissa in the Wizangamot. They proceeded to become friends over baby-sitting Teddy Lupin. While a few in the Child Services did not trust Draco with a child, they did not mind him visiting Teddy under Harry’s supervision as a godfather.
Zabini’s death had taken a toll not only on Draco’s personal life but in his professional as well. As Zabini’s soulmate, Draco knew he had a chance to work as a healer in an organisation but with his death, Britain closed its door on Draco’s face. He was back to being a Death Eater spawn and nothing more. Harry had never felt more anger directed at magical people’s narrow-mindedness than at that point.
It was when Draco found himself at a loss of work and unable to pay the rent that Harry offered for him to move in with him. He stayed alone with only occasional visits from his friends, Andromeda and Teddy and he definitely did not mind having a friend share his home.
The next couple of months had seen Draco struggling with the loss of his soulmate and him trying hard to find a job. Marks did not matter to the magical world against his past. He was faced with disappointment at every turn of life. It was then that Harry had talked to Luna who had talked one of her colleagues whose wife worked at St. Mungo’s. That had gotten Draco admitted as a trainee at St. Mungo’s. Finding a job did not end Draco’s problems. People refused to be treated by him; subtly and bluntly. They weren’t very trusting of him. One of the patients had also went ahead physically abusing Draco when he had tried to heal him. That was when Harry knew it was enough.
While Harry hated making public appearances and preferred to apparate or floo to places, he made a point to visit Draco biweekly. He would, then, offer to walk home, to enjoy the hues of setting sun. When people realised that Harry associated himself with a Malfoy, they slowly backed off. They would still spew hatred at Draco but at least it kept him safe from spells and blows. And he knew Draco knew that too. Draco appreciated the help.
There were soon rumors flying around Britain about The-Boy-Who-Lived dating the Death Eater spawn. This directed the public disappointment towards Harry but he could care less about them. He had fulfilled his duty by defeating Voldemort as a 17 year old and now, he wasn’t going to let the public decide how he lived his life or who he chose to spend his time with. Just like he did not let them decide his future and force him into an Auror Program. Draco had felt guilty about it and requested Harry to not help him if it meant Harry not facing the backlash, but it was the opening that Harry, maybe, had been looking for.
Harry had sat Draco down with a glass of wine for each and revealed on how he liked Draco (conveniently subtracting his Hogwarts love for him, for later) and would also like to date Draco if given a chance. That was how Harry’s biweekly visits turned to daily visits to St. Mungo’s, and soothed Harry’s scar of not having a soulmate.
Harry let out a small smile as he pushed himself off of the chair and walked towards the kitchenette taking off the freezing charm from the mushrooms. It’s been over ten months since they had been dating and he wanted to official court Draco. While Draco did not mind the modern dating system, he knew he valued the traditional courting rituals in high regards. And who was he to deny his Draco a chance at additional happiness? He has already pulled the Potter courting rings out of his vaults to ask Draco. Now, all he had to do was gather some Gryffindor courage and present them to Draco.
“So, Mr. Potter—” Draco dragged out. “— when were you planning on presenting the courting rings to me?”
~The End~