A Late Night

A Late Night

Harry rolled his head and massaged the huge knot in his shoulder. It was midnight and once again he was stuck at the office with no one really to fault except himself. He was the best Auror the Ministry had and he knew it. They knew it. And they took full advantage of it. Unfortunately, Harry let them. He also worked best on his own which why he was now poring over notes long after his colleagues had gone home. Four years after the defeat of Voldemort, rogue Death Eaters were still at large accompanied by new 'wanna be' recruits. The Ministry was better equipped to handle them this time around. The man power and the long strenuous hours required to decipher plans, however, took their toll on everyone and kept Harry mostly away from home five days out of the week. With a long suffering sigh he gave up for the night and packed his things, thinking he'd have better luck tomorrow. He walked to the Apparation chamber, longing for bed and much needed sleep wrapped around his husband's arms. He smiled and hurried, hoping Draco was still up.

Harry Apparated right into the kitchen, the wards shimmering to let him in. He placed his briefcase on the counter and walked into the living room to hang his coat. His face lit up when he realized that Draco, indeed, was still awake curled up on the couch with the television on. However, his expression turned to one of worry when he took in Draco's appearance. Draco's face was shining with tears, his eyes wide and sorrowful. His cheeks red and blotchy. His body was shaking from the little sobs emitting from his trembling lips. A pillow was clutched desperately between his hands, hugged close to his chest. His sniffles alone were enough to break Harry's heart as he quickly rushed to his lover's side, dropping to his knees by the sofa.

"Draco, love, what is it? Are you alright?"

Draco turned watery, grey eyes towards him. He gave an almighty sniffle before responding. "Oh, hi, Harry, I didn't know you were home."

"I am. I'm right here, love. Now, tell me what's wrong." Harry's mind whirled with a thousand different possibilities. Did someone get pass the wards and threaten Draco? Did someone hurt him? Did he have another nightmare? Though, Harry doubted the last scenario. Months after the war ended Draco had constant nightmares and visions of his father still torturing him in a chamber beneath the Malfoy Manor. The nightmares involved Harry never turning up. Harry never coming to save him. Which was the complete opposite of what happened.

But Draco hadn't had one in years.

Harry grew frantic when Draco wouldn't answer him and tears continued to flow down his face. He reached up and wiped them away gently. "Come on, love, what is it? Tell me."

Draco shook his head and stared straight ahead. "She promised she wouldn't let go," he whispered. "She said she wouldn't but she did."

Now Harry was completely confused. Who was she? "Um, Draco, who are you talking about?"

Draco sniffled again and clutched the pillow even tighter. "Her."

Harry followed his gaze that led to the telly. The movie Draco was watching was still playing, showing a woman in water drifting on a piece of wood to keep afloat. His eyes moved from the screen and landed on the opened rectangular, plastic case on the right. The title Titanic was emblazoned across the shimmery surface. Harry couldn't help it and he burst out laughing from sheer relief.

Draco's head snapped back to him with narrowed eyes. "Are you laughing at me?"

Harry swallowed his chuckles and climbed onto the spot next to him. A snicker or two escaped as he took Draco in his arms. "Sorry, love, I'm just so fucking relieved. I thought you were in trouble."

Draco pushed him away and sat up with a pout. "No reason for you to laugh at me."

Harry bit his lip hard to keep fresh laughter from bumbling up to the surface, instead he asked, "Er...so why were you watching Titanic? I didn't think we owned that movie."

Draco sniffled again, his nose adorably red from crying. Harry just wanted to pounce and nuzzle him to death. "Hermione bought it over earlier. Thought I would like it. She said it reminded her of you and me. Something about a couple that society thought shouldn't be together, but was."

"Er...and you willingly watched a Muggle movie without me present?"

Draco sniffed indignantly. "Well, you were working late again and I hate sleeping in that huge bed by myself so I decided to give it a go. I hate it though."

Harry took in the ruffled hair, red-rimmed eyes, and the pouty lips and concluded Draco look utterly adorable and innocent sitting there. So he decided to indulge him. "And why did you hate it, baby?" he cooed.

"Because... because it has a horrible ending! They were happy, Harry! They were going to be together and away from that wretched mother of hers and that awful man she was being forced to marry. Then he dies. What kind of person makes a movie where the main character dies?"

Harry smiled and pulled a reluctant Draco onto his lap. "Lots of movies, love."

Draco shook his head. "Muggles ruin everything." Harry giggled. "And stop laughing at me."

Harry swallowed his tongue. "Sorry, love, but hey, didn't you like Romeo and Juliet? They were the main characters in that movie and they both died!"

Draco gave him a patient face. The one he usually reserved for Ron and Hermione's two year olds when he was about to explain to them something vastly important. "There's a huge difference, Harry, dear. Romeo and Juliet was a classical Play that the Muggles sullied by turning it into a movie."

Harry looked confused. "Wait, wasn't Shakespeare a Muggle?"

Draco snorted. "Please, Harry. Did you really think someone as genius as William Shakespeare could be a Muggle?"

Harry smirked. "Well, doesn't matter. I liked the movie, the latest version at least. I thought Leonardo DiCaprio made a sexy Romeo."

Draco glared deeply at him. "His performance was passable but he's not that good looking. The git's probably not a natural blonde."

Harry shrugged and buried his face in Draco's hair, hiding his smile.

"Anyway, that's beside the point. Romeo and Juliet's death meant something. They died for love so they could be together. It was all very romantic, not to mention passionate. Then there's the whole political aspect to it."

"Political?"

"Yes. The two most powerful families divided by their hate were brought together by the sacrifice of their children. They were forced to realize the reality that their petty differences could have deadly consequences. It was all very symbolic. Their deaths were justified. Not like in Titanic"

Harry pretended to yawn. "Uh huh.

Draco ignored him and lifted his chin arrogantly. "Anyway, I think these Muggle movies you make me watch are rubbish, Harry. They have no point. Rose and Jack are suppose to be together, have lots of babies and live happily ever after. But instead she let him go. She was selfish, too. She could have shared that piece of wood she was floating on with him, but no, she let him freeze and then she let go of his hand. After she promised him she wouldn't .And he just sunk down deeper into the ocean, all alone."

Harry's lips quivered from keeping his laughter in. "You know Jack was just speaking metaphorically? Don't you?"

Draco buried his face deep into Harry's chest. "Whatever," came the muttered response. "She got all naked for him and then left her family for him. She did all that; at least she should have made sure he was really dead."

Harry's shoulder was shaking from repressed laughter and he stroked Draco's head, threading his fingers through silky strands of hair. Draco purred. Harry smiled and kissed his temple. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

A muffled answer emitted from the vicinity of his chest. "No, completely rubbish ending."

Harry paused and looked thoughtful. "You know that this was based on a true story. What happened on the Titanic was real."

Draco's head snapped up and he fixed Harry with a wet, broken gaze. His silver eyes were wide and his bottom lip trembled. "You mean...you mean that Rose and Jack really existed? Jack really died?" He looked like he was a breath away from crying again.

Harry pulled him in and hugged him tight. "No, no, baby. I'm pretty sure that Rose and Jack were fictional characters," he placated. "But there were probably hundreds of lovers on that ship that didn't make it."

"Oh." Draco's eyes were bright. "That's really sad, Harry." There was moment of silence before he suddenly leaned in and captured his husband's lips in a bruising kiss. Harry readily opened his mouth underneath the assault and kissed back deeply and passionately, knowing somehow Draco needed this. Needed to be reassured and soothed.

When they pulled apart Harry ran a thumb against swollen lips and kissed the last few strays of tears away from Draco's cheeks. Draco's eyes were open and unguarded. A rare occasion only bestowed around Harry. Harry gave his lover a small smile and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You were scared," he whispered.

Draco bristled. "I wasn't scared." But his tone quivered and held a slight touch of old forgotten fear.

Harry nuzzled him closer and traced soothing circles on his back. He clearly read the look on Draco's face, the sadness in his eyes and the worry in his frown. And he understood. "You'll never lose me, Draco. I promise. I'm not going anywhere and no one is going to take me away from you."

Draco drove himself against Harry--burying his face into his shirt, trying to hide in his arms, and disappearing inside his body. "And if I told you to never let go, you wouldn't, right?"

Harry smiled. "I'd never let you go, Draco. No matter how much I thought you were dead and frozen and blue from the cold. I'll drag you onto the piece of wood with me and hold you forever."

Draco rolled his eyes at the sentiment and bit him on the neck for his cheek. Harry laughed.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"You would never let me drown either, right?"

Harry touched their foreheads together. "Never."

"You won't let a big bad iceberg get me?"

"I'll always protect you."

"And if I jumped you'd jump, too?"

"I'll be right behind you."

"And if I asked you to draw me wearing nothing but a tea cozy, you would?"

"Anything you want, baby."

Draco smiled and hugged him.

"Wait...what was that last one?"

"Shhh...nothing."

They laid together in silence for several minutes before Draco spoke again. "They were a lot like us--Rose and Jack."

"I know." He placed a gentle kiss on the silver platinum band on his lover's finger. Draco melted against him.

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, baby."

A pause.

"You know I didn't really think the movie was all that bad. There was this one part that I did like."

Harry smirked. "Oh. And which part was that?"

Draco looked sheepish and embarrassed. "I don't want to tell you. You'll just laugh at me again."

Harry pulled away slightly and took in the red tinged cheeks and shy smile on Draco's face. "Never mind, you don't have to tell me. I think I already know what it is."

Draco's smile became brighter. "You know me too well."

"That I do." Draco pulled himself off Harry's lap and looked at the stairs leading to the top most floor of their house. His legs twitched and Harry groaned out loud but inwardly grinned. "You're going to do it, aren't you?"

Draco was already on his feet. "I just want to see what all the fuss is about." He then raced up the stairs, Harry hot on his heels. Before Harry could say or do anything, Draco had wrenched their balcony door open and pushed himself up against the railing as far as he could go--his arms spread wide on either side of his body.

And as he listened to Draco belting out, "I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!!!! WOOOOOOOAAAOOOOO WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" at the top of his lungs over and over again, Harry felt that he was the king of the world. At least, the luckiest man in the world.

A contented smile spread across his face. It'd be a cold day in hell before he'd ever let Draco go. He would follow him wherever he went--because it was where he needed to be. Where he wanted to be.

Draco paused in his mantra to turn around and throw Harry an impish grin.

Despite the wind that blew in his face and the cold that seeped through his clothes, Harry could feel a warmth in his chest that spread all over. "You're crazy, Malfoy!" he yelled.

Draco winked at him. "Yes, but you're the one stuck with me forever, Potter. I guess you'll just have to deal with it."

Harry smiled wider. He wouldn't have had it any other way.

Finished.