Coming Home

Draco wakes in Harry’s arms, turning to face him in the dimly lit tent, smiling as Harry’s eyes flit open beside him. Harry smiles immediately, leaning forward to gently press his lips to Draco’s forehead.

Draco can’t help but laugh, his nose wrinkling as he does, only causing Harry to press another gentle kiss against his nose until the skin smooths back to its normal position.
“Morning.” Harry says lowly, his arm snaking around Draco’s waist.

Draco’s arm slides around Harry’s shoulder, his fingers looping into his hair softly.
“Morning.” Draco echoes, sighing contently.

The pair stays looped together, as they have for the past several weeks since their first kiss in the woods. Mornings and evenings are the best parts of their day, times where they are free to be together without fear of anyone seeing, without fear of anyone’s judgement.

The flutter of wings just outside the tent causes them to part, each of them sighing softly at the interruption of their time together. An owl waits outside, a piece of rolled parchment tied to its foot as it looks inquisitively at Harry.

Harry undoes the thin twine and removes the note, tossing a bit of bread from inside of the tent to the bird before ducking back inside. Draco watches as he unrolls the parchment, scanning it with his eyes briefly before taking a deep breath and reading it aloud.

“Harry,
We hope you’re well. We miss you dearly.
Molly has been asking to see you, we’d all love to see you—only if you’re ready of
course. No need to write back, we know you’ve been busy. Just come to the burrow
whenever you have a chance. You’re always welcome here.
Yours truly,
-Hermione Granger”

Harry smiles at the last line, hearing her voice in his head as he reads it. He leans back against the pillows, reading over the note again in his head.

Draco lays beside him, resting his head on Harry’s chest as Harry opens his arms to him, a position they’ve become incredibly comfortable in.
“Are you going to go?” Draco asks quietly, his arm draped across Harry’s body, his fingers trailing along the small patch of skin on his stomach peeking through between his shirt and pants.

Harry takes a deep breath, shrugging softly.
“If you’ll come too.” He says after a moment, setting the note aside and wrapping his arms around Draco.

Draco stiffens, sitting up slightly to be able to see Harry’s face.
“I am most definitely not welcome there.” Draco says, shaking his head as he looks down at Harry.

Harry laughs once, a short, almost uncertain sound.
“But I am.” He says slowly. “And you’re important to me. If they want me, they’ll have to have you. That’s just how it’s going to be from here on out.”

Draco shakes his head again, sliding his hand from Harry’s side to his face, cupping his cheek gently.
“You are definitely not going to lose your friends because of me.” Draco says sternly. “You know how Granger feels about me, and if Weasley is still with her… there’s no way they’ll let me stay there. There’s no way they’ll ever accept us.”

Harry sighs, leaning into Draco’s touch.
“Their names are Hermione and Ron.” Harry says gently, knowing that Draco only says it out of habit now, not out of spite. “But they’re my best friends. For most of my life, they’re the closest thing to family I’ve had. If they really care about me, they’ll deal with their issues with you and be happy for us eventually.”

Draco nods slowly, hoping that Harry’s right, sincerely doubting that he is.
“Maybe let’s not tell them when we go.” Draco says. “If I go.” He quickly amends.

Harry’s eyes search Draco’s, seeing the anxiety and apprehension there.
“Okay.” Harry says after a moment. “We’ll go as friends, just to break the ice and warm them to the idea of you.”

Draco nods again, slowly returning his head to Harry’s chest, his hand to his waist.
“And what if they don’t ever warm to the idea?” He asks quietly. “I was bloody horrible to Grang—Hermione. Ron too.”

Harry holds him tightly, leaning down and pressing his lips to Draco’s icy blonde hair.
“It’s impossible to not warm to you.” Harry murmurs. “Everyone here has befriended you, all it takes is time to meet the real you.”

Harry kisses Draco’s head again as he nods, each boy holding the other tighter. Harry smiles as he looks up at the roof of the tent, finding a spark of excitement at seeing his best friends again. Draco closes his eyes against Harry’s shirt, feeling his stomach sink at the thought of facing Ron and Hermione. Of facing any of the Weasley’s after what happened. He holds Harry just a little bit tighter, hoping that somehow this won’t be a complete disaster.
_____________________________________________________________________________

At the end of the week, Harry and Draco pack their bags with their few belongings in the tent before walking towards Hogsmeade to the train station. Neither of them say much as they walk, each lost in their own thoughts.

They board the train, finding themselves to be some of the only passengers aboard. They find a car in the back, far away from anyone else on board. Harry holds Draco’s hands as they ride through the countryside, sensing his heightening anxiety as they watch the trees fly past through the windows.

When the train stops, they collect their bags and let go of each other’s hands, walking out into the station. Harry leads the way, walking down the path that leads to The Burrow.
Draco stops as the house comes into view, pulling back into the tree line, his breathing coming in jagged bursts as he looks between Harry and the house.

“I shouldn’t be here.” He breathes. “I called her Mudblood. She got hurt because of me. Fred—”
“Stop.” Harry says, putting his hands on either side of Draco’s face. “Don’t go there. That was not your fault.”

Draco looks into Harry’s eyes, searching for doubt or any sign of him lying to spare Draco’s feelings, but finds nothing but sincerity there.

“As for the Mudblood thing—you’re not like that anymore.” Harry says lowly. “You wouldn’t have stayed behind to help if you were, you wouldn't have come here if you were, you wouldn’t have helped us at all if you were. She’ll understand. They all will.”

Draco nods, his breathing slowly returning to normal.
“I care for you so much.” Harry says with a small smile. “You’re just as important to me as they are. You’ll all get along.”

Harry presses a quick, meaningful kiss to Draco’s lips, looking into his eyes again before dropping his hands from his face. Draco nods, forcing a smile back as they begin walking again towards the house.

Harry approaches the door, knocking a couple of times and taking a small step back. The door swings open a moment later, and Molly Weasley’s shocking red hair comes into view as she crushes Harry to her chest in a tight hug.

“Oh Harry!” She breathes, her eyes squeezed shut as she holds him close. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.”
She releases him after a moment, only to have Hermione take her place. Molly watches them embrace for a moment before Draco’s form catches her eye. She turns her head to face him, her face morphing into a mask of shock as she looks at him, saying nothing as she stares at him.

Hermione releases Harry, smiling at him as she blinks back tears.
“Thank you for coming.” She breathes, laughing as she does.

Harry murmurs something in response as Ron crushes into him, hugging him tighter than either of the girls before him.
Hermione steps aside like Molly had, noticing Draco in the same way. Her face twists into something of confusion as she looks at him, her mouth opening slightly as if she wanted to say something, but closing again instantly as though she’d decided better of it.

“Harry.” Ron breathes, looking at him. “I’m happy to see you mate.”
Harry laughs, nodding his head.
“Me too.” He replies as Ron drops his arms.

Ron staggers a step backwards as he sees Draco, his smile dropping from his face immediately.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He asks, stepping in front of Hermione, as though he has to protect her from him.

To Draco’s surprise, Harry makes the same move towards Draco, stepping in front of him as though to shield him from the disgust on Ron’s face.
“He’s here as a friend.” Harry says quickly, not moving from his position in front of Draco.

“A friend?” Ron echoes. “Some bloody friend he is.”
Ron reaches for his wand, and Harry steps backwards, only getting closer to Draco.

“Stop.” Harry tells him sternly. “I said he’s a friend. He’s done nothing but help us at Hogwarts for months. He’s not the Draco you knew.”

Draco says nothing as Harry steps to the side, letting Ron and Hermione look at him again. They do nothing but stare back at him at first, but after a moment, Hermione steps forward, extending her hand to him as she does.

“Nice to meet you, Draco.” She says in a low voice.

Draco takes her hand in his, shaking it once.
“Nice to meet you.” He replies, keeping his voice just as low.

Molly cracks a small smile, looking between Draco and Harry once, not saying anything as she leads the way back into the house. Hermione follows directly behind her, but Ron doesn’t move, the glare set on his face never faltering as he stares Draco down.

“Ron please—” Harry begins, but Ron quickly cuts him off.
“No.” He says bitterly. “You may have everyone else fooled,” he spits, pointing a finger at Draco’s face, “but I know who you are.”

Before anyone can reply, Ron storms into the house behind Hermione. Harry sighs quietly, turning to face Draco with an apologetic expression. Draco simply shakes his head, offering Harry what he hopes looks like an understanding smile.

Harry nods, turning and leading the way into The Burrow.

“Well, we have one bedroom open, there are two beds in it if you boys don’t mind sharing the room..?” Molly asks, her voice slightly uncertain as she looks at them, unsure if that level of intimacy would be too much for Harry or Draco at that point.

“That’ll be just fine, thank you.” Harry says, smiling warmly at her.

Molly’s uncertainty melts away as she smiles back, her cheeks flushing with a soft pink as she does. She leads the way to the room, Harry and Draco following along behind her. She leaves them at the door, promising dinner to be ready in a few minutes.

Harry leads Draco inside, shutting the door behind them.
“I’m so sorry about Ron I—I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” Harry says, setting his bag down before reaching out to embrace Draco.

Draco hugs him tightly back, rubbing his back softly.
“It’s alright.” Draco replies. “I get it.”

Harry leans back, reaching out to cup Draco’s chin with his hand, tilting his face up to meet his gaze.
“You’re amazing.” He whispers. “Thank you for coming with me.”

Draco can’t help but smile, nodding his head as he does.
“Thank you for inviting me.” He replies. “For trusting me.”

Harry presses a kiss to Draco’s lips, his smile never leaving as he does.
“We’ll go downstairs and have dinner, and then we’ll come back up here, push these beds together, and—” A knock at the door cuts Harry’s promises short, sending the boys stepping apart from each other quickly.

Harry stumbles to the door, opening it and leaning on the frame to look casual.
“Dinner is ready.” Ginny Weasley says, her eyes wide as she looks at Harry. “Nice to see you, Harry.”

She turns and moves down the hall before Harry has a chance to respond. He sighs, covering his face with his hand as he does.
“That could be a problem.” He murmurs, turning back to Draco. “Ready?”

Draco nods, suddenly remembering how Harry and Ginny had a brief relationship before everything had happened, only making him more uneasy with the whole situation. He follows Harry to the table, taking the chair beside him.

He tries not to notice the empty chairs around the table as they eat, wondering where the rest of the family is, wondering where Fred should be sitting.
“How are they?” Harry asks finally, gesturing to those empty seats. “Arthur? Percy?”

He swallows hard.
“George?” He tacks on at the end.

Molly leans back in her chair, taking a quiet breath.
“Arthur and Percy have been working a lot at the Ministry.” She says lowly. “George is… well he’s around. Charlie wrote that he’s staying with them for a while.”

Harry nods, and Draco turns his eyes to his lap, trying not to notice Ron’s eyes twitching to him ever so slightly. They finish dinner with small conversations every once in a while, but nothing meaningful, nothing directed at Draco.

Not that he minds, he has nothing to say. He has nothing to contribute, these people don’t want to hear his opinions or experiences anyway.

“Harry, do you want to go walk with me after dinner?” Ron asks, and it isn’t lost on Draco that he only asks Harry.

Harry looks to Draco, asking silently with his eyes. Draco nods, shrugging a small shrug.
“I’m tired anyway.” Draco says quietly, cringing at the sound of his own voice in the quiet room. “You should go.”

Harry smiles, nodding his head before agreeing to go with Ron. They stand, leaving the room quickly. Ginny and Hermione stand with Molly, collecting the dishes and following her to the kitchen. Draco does the same, ignoring the way Ginny looks at him over her shoulder.

“Do you need help?” He asks awkwardly, standing in the doorway.

Molly smiles at him sympathetically.
“Oh, no dear.” She says in a kind voice. “The girls and I can manage.”

Draco smiles back tightly, nodding his head before excusing himself and walking up the stairs to the bedroom. He shuts the door behind him, sliding his back down the frame as he covers his face with his hands, exhaling harshly, hoping this weekend goes by quickly.
______________________________________________________________________________

Ron and Harry walk outside down a small trail, a trail they’d walked a dozen times before when they were younger.
“How’ve you been?” Harry asks. “Really.”

Ron sighs, shrugging as he looks at him out of the corner of his eye.
“It’s been alright.” He says lowly. “House feels empty. Nightmares haven’t stopped yet, for any of us.”

Harry nods, knowing all too well what he means. But suddenly, he realizes that he hasn’t had a nightmare in a while, not since he’d been sleeping in Draco’s arms, or with Draco in his.
“And we’ve missed you.” Ron continues. “I’ve missed you.”

Harry smiles, leaning to the side to bump Ron with his shoulder.
“I’ve missed you too.” He says quietly, watching Ron’s lips twitch into a smile beside him as they walk.

“What’s Hogwarts been like?” Ron asks, running his hands along the tall grasses beside the trail as they walk.

“Busy.” Harry replies. “We’ve been doing a lot of cleaning, a lot of restoring what was damaged.”

Ron nods, his face darkening slightly as memories flit through his mind.
“It’s been—a lot.” Harry continues with a sigh. “But we’re working through it.”

Ron kicks a rock on the trail, turning to look at Harry again.
“We?” He asks. “As in you and Malfoy? How did that even happen?”

Harry kicks a rock now, shaking his head.
“I don’t know.” He answers honestly. “It started with me returning his wand, then he came back with me and has been working just as hard as anyone else.”

Ron doesn’t answer as they continue walking.
“He’s—different.” Harry tells him. “He’s not the same person as when we knew him, I swear.”

Ron stops on the trail, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Is he your best friend now?” He asks bitterly.

Harry stops too, turning to Ron with a smile on his lips that he’s unable to bite back.
“Are you hearing yourself?” He asks, laughing under his breath as he does. “You’re always going to be my best friend, Ron. Nothing is going to change that.”

Ron can’t help but smile at his answer, shrugging awkwardly before walking again.
“Well, I just wanted to make sure.” He says lowly. “I guess I could give him a shot then.”

Harry smiles, watching his shoes as they walk back towards the front door of the house.
“I’d appreciate if you did.” Harry replies. “Are you and Hermione still…?”

Ron laughs now, nodding his head.
“Better than ever.” He replies, a soft pink flushing his cheeks. “What’s the deal with you and Ginny? She won’t talk about it much.”

Harry’s face flushes as they slow their pace towards the door.
“I uh—I don’t know, Ron.” He says uncomfortably. “I think that ship might’ve sailed.”

Ron laughs as he opens the door, nudging him with his shoulder as they walk inside.
“Well, never say never.” He says with a wink, walking towards his bedroom. “Night, Harry. See you tomorrow.”

Harry mumbles some sort of reply as he walks back to his own bedroom, opening the door to find Draco sitting on the edge of one of the beds, flipping absently through a book.
“Hey.” Harry says, smiling as he shuts the door behind him. “You okay?”

Draco smiles too, looking up at him and nodding.
“Yeah, you?” He asks.

Harry flips the lock on the door.
“Yeah.” He replies, walking over to him and pushing a strand of his blonde hair back away from his forehead. “Where were we?”

Draco raises his eyebrows, his lips twitching into a smile as he looks up at Harry.
“I think you were saying something about pushing these beds together.” Draco mutters, his hands resting on Harry’s waist.

“Oh yeah, I remember now.” Harry says with a laugh, closing the gap between his lips and Draco’s.