What's in a memory?

Chapter Five

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"W-what did you just say?"Harry finally found his voice, though it sounded strange to his ears. Higher pitched.

"Keely, could you step out for a moment?" Draco held out a hand in assistance. There glinting on his left hand, a flash of silver,  against his elegant pale finger. A ring. 

Harry couldn't look away.

"Oh Draco, didn't see you there! Did you try that recipe out yet?" The mediwitch wittered on obliviously. 

"Keely, if you could please-"

"How did Teddy find it? Was the party everything he hoped for?"

Harry was stunned at the name of his godson. Teddy? 

"What did you just say?"

"Ten years old, what a milestone!" She all but squealed out. Harry was feeling really aggitated now, did she hear him or not! Annoyance prickling his skin. Harry was starting to feel invisible. Unheard.

"Did she just say Teddy?" Harry turned to Hermione and Ron who were crowded together in the corner watching on.

They paused, just long enough for Harry to consider his voice might genuinely be the issue here, maybe he didn't say it at all,  when his friends nodded.

They looked just as startled by this news as he was.

That's a first for today.

Harry tuned back in to the excitable witch, itching with unanswered questions and defensive about his godson.

"What did you just say?" Harry raised his voice, fists clenching in cotton sheets.

"-Oh, and almost off to Hogwarts. Cherish this year with him, Draco."

It felt like being locked in the cupboard all over again. It felt like Ron not believing him before the first task. It felt like Dumbledore ignoring him in fifth year. 

Draco, however, clearly noticed Harry's discomfort. He tried again, more forcefully: "I will. Now" Getting close enough to be able to physically remove Keely from the room. " if you could just-"

"And if you could both stop ignoring me!!" Harry was shouting now. 

"Oh, feisty this one. Oh Draco, he must be quite a handful at home." she chuckled.

"Keely, this really isn't the time for-"

"But you know what they say about feisty husbands" She winked at Draco. "Amazing se-"

"STOP IT!"

With a surge of magical energy all the lights went out, and the monitor let out a loud protesting screech. The glass from the window shuddered and cracked. Everyone was stunned still. 

"Would. Someone. Explain. Now"

 
"Harry, calm down. You're safe here, remember?"

"Hermione, Why don't you step out? See if you can help get the lights back on? Keely, Ron, if I could speak to Harry alone."

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With the excuse to deal with the powerful surge of magic Harry eminated down the hall, (which had pressumably disrupted several rooms in the private wing as well as His own) everyone filed out. Leaving Harry and Draco alone.

Draco took a deep breath.

Actively reminding himself that Hermione, an unspeakable, would undoubtedly be able to get things running again, without his aid. He couldn't be responsible for every little thing in the hospital. Besides he had Harry to think about. 

Draco steadied himself by leaning against the closed door, and turned to face Harry. 

"Okay, deerheart, what do you want to know first?" Draco was filled to the brim with knowledge, and he wasn't sure what disturbed Harry the most. But he had to start somewhere.

"How?" Harry was still feeling pretty wound up, Draco could still see the mania in his eyes.

"How what? You'll need to be more specific Harry." Malfoy rubbed his tired eyes with both hands. This has been a really long day and it wasn't even noon yet.

"How did we. I mean, how did we. ever. ever-"

"Ah, I'm afraid that's not so easy to answer, and time consuming. Try another." Malfoy was dreading what his husband might ask next.

"I want to know how." Harry gritted out, no longer angry just fustrated that no one would give him a straight answer. Digging his heels in metaphorically and tugging on Malfoy's non-existent ponytail, baiting him to rise to Harry's level.

With a smirk, Draco finally felt in control of the situation. He knew his husband. He knew what he wanted.

"Tough shit sweetheart. Try again."

"Fine, when?"

"When...?" Malfoy made a rolling motion with two fingers, as if to impatiently say: more information, darling.

Harry stubbornly set his jaw. He saw this as a challenge, and remained steadfast.

"Yes, when?"

Draco tried a different tactic now, equally as annoying as the last.

"When we started dating? when did we get married? when was the last time we had sex? Be specific with what you want Harry, this isn't legimancy."

Harry went a brilliant shade of red that Draco hadn't seen for a while.

Harry scoffed, shaking his head, then huffed out a quiet "So it's true."

Harry's mind was reeling, he could still see the shining ring on Malfoy's finger. His ring? The ring? It was true. Malfoy was his... his...

Malfoy's demeanor dropped a little.

"We're together, yes." Draco said, trying his best to sound indifferent; trying not to infuse any of the joy he usually felt when he said Harry was his. Nor did he want to inflect his words with the pain he felt having to explain any of itto Harry. "We've been together seven years"

"So, we're married." Not quite a question, not quite a statement. Harry's voice sounded so dejected, so remote that Draco couldn't stand there and bare his heart to him.

Back to the game, he thought, anything to make this easier.

Draco took a shallow breath, allowing it to steel his resolve. I can do this. For Harry. 

"Yes. I thought we'd established that."

He couldn't look at him while he did this, he needed something to look at that wasn't his beloved husband and his stupid, honest, (regrettably) kissable face which Draco could read every minute expression on.

He's not your husband, This is Potter. He tried telling himself.

But that wasn't true.

Look at him, memories or no, Draco promised to love this man 'til death. His husband has the same emerald green eyes, the same fire within, and the most loving heart Draco had ever encountered.

Searching for something-anything- to do, Draco looked at his nails. Desperately trying to pretend that this wasn't hurting him in the least. His husband looked so lost, so disgusted, so bare. The recognition in his eyes was not for his lover, his partner, his counterpart but that for:                              -Draco Malfoy pureblooded, death eater prick-

Salazar, this hurt.

He tried to keep his facade in place, crushing his true feelings down deep where Harry couldn't see.

He could do it. Act as if his world wasn't falling apart. Pretend he wasn't aching for Harry to remember. Something. Anything.

No, instead of clinging onto Harry and forcing memory after memory upon him. Instead of climbing into his bed and sobbing into his husband's arms.

In lieu of all that, he was just brutally, rebotically explaining the nature of their relationship to his freaking Husband. 

Meanwhile, Harry similarly felt like his world was falling apart. And to make matters worse: Malfoy just stood there, leaning against the door as if he wasn't, with every word, cementing Harry's future.

Like Malfoy wasn't dropping nuclear sized bombshells, he just stood there, looking at his freaking cuticles.

"You're infuriating." Harry huffed out, feeling petulant once more.

"And you're annoying!" Draco snipped, eyebrow arched.

"I hate you" Harry countered, Was he trying to find Malfoy's weakness? or just arguing for the sake of it? Draco couldn't tell.

'I hate you.'  Draco mentally stumbled, before he quickly grabbed at another coping strategy desperate to replace the hurt inside. I can do this. He doesn't actually hate you. He doesn't.

"hmm" he hummed the negative, avoiding eye contact by looking across the room, just to piss Harry off.

"I do!" Harry insisted.

"Sureyou do." Draco smirked, rolling his eyes for good measure.

"I always have."

"If you say so."

"I would never!" Harry spluttered. Harry could picture a husband, more easily than a wife, if he was honest with himself. But not Malfoy. Never Malfoy.

"And yet here we are." Draco finally returned his gaze, trying to figure out what Harry would throw at him next. He didn't anticipate:
 

"Fine, prove it!" The brunette yelled, fire burning behind his eyes.

Draco stumbled again mentally but he didn't let it show.

"Prove it?"

"Yes, prove we're... that I'm... that we're.. "

Oh, easily Draco thought.

"Hmm, would you prefer photographic evidence? rings?" He remarked.

Then to save face. "Oh I know, how about a kiss, would that suffice, oh Saviour?"

"You're a dick"

"Be grateful for that blessing, Scarhead" Draco grinned, finally enjoying the conversation.

"For what?"

"My dick"

"You're vile" Harry tried desperately not to think about Malfoy naked as he flushed a deeper shade of red.

Draco could do this, he'd had half-hearted arguments with Harry before. He finally felt in safe territory; of their usual banter and snipes.

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot that you were a prude before you met me." He put on his best smug face.

"I-Imma not. a prude." Harry stuttered out defensively, really flustered at this turn of conversation.

"Oh, of course not" Draco hummed, knowing full well Harry's history, better than he did currently, and remembered fondly how naive Harry was when they'd started dating.

It made his smile grow.

"I'm not!" 

Draco sighed. He was done. It wasn't as fun without Harry at full capacity bantering in return.

"I don't want to fight like this." His mood suddenly deflated and he felt more exhausted than ever. Sagging against the door in a most-unMalfoyish style.

"I- Then why would you say-" 

"Look Harry, it's been a really long day, I'm going to make some rounds, talk about a leave of absence with my boss and see about your discharge."

Draco was already making a mental list of all the patients he'd need to sign over to take the time off.

"Malfoy, I'm sorry I-"

"It's okay, Harry. Nothing you haven't said before. But I need to go sort this out, okay? Then I'll take you home and you can pester me with as many questions as you desire." Draco turned to face the door, feeling closer to forty than twenty-eight.

"But-"

"I'll send in the Weasleys' on my way out, okay?" He was reaching for the handle.

"One last question!!"

"As if I could ever stop you Harry" Draco replied softly, sighing deeply, leaning his forehead against the door with a small thunk.

"Why are you being, like this? You know all...." He trailed off. 

Kind, Harry thought, so unlike the Malfoy he used to know.

"Harry, whatever shitty illusions you have about me now, believe me when I say I took my vows very seriously."

"Your healer vows or the marriage -"

"All of the promises I've ever made to you Harry. I meant them. I meant them then and I mean them now. Okay?"

+

"So?"

"Ron, leave him alone. He's processing" Hermione hissed, whilst tidying up the well-wishers cards and disgarded robes.

"I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Harry groaned, lying flat on his hospital bed.

"Harry" Hermione chastised.

"He's got a point" She nudged Ron for that.

"I'm definitely gonna be sick." He repeated 

"Stop it. It's not that big of a deal!" Hermione insisted.

"Easy for you to say, you haven't just found out you've been shagging Malfoy."

"He's got a point 'Mione" Ron agreed, sitting beside Harry, munching a bag of crisps.

"Ron!"

"What? If I just found out, I'd...I'd-" He said around his mouthful. 

"You're saying if you woke up married to me, you'd be sick?"

"Well, no." He shrunk a little, looking riddiculous with his tall frame, ducking from a 5"2 woman.  Even if that woman was Hermione.

"See!" 

"Wait, you guys got married?"

The silence was answer enough.

"You did, didn't you? And I missed it." Harry felt worse.

Ron, the great guy he was, tried to elevate Harry's mood," You didn't miss it, you just can't-" 

"-Remember. yeah, I got that." Harry felt like screaming. He didn't but it was sorely tempting. He muttered aloud,  "Seems to be a running theme today."

"Harry-"

"-Can we just talk about something else, please?"

"Like what, quiditch?" Ron perked up, always happy to distract Harry.

"Sure." He said, not really caring what they talked about as long as no more revelations came to light.

Then Ron whiled away the next hour informing Harry about the current league and how his precious Chudley Cannons were doing whilst Hermione finished cleaning everything up.

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