Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter Seventeen - Oh Happy Day

~ Astronomy Tower ~

Later that night, Draco lay back on top of the Astronomy Tower staring up at the stars. It was so very peaceful and still up there, away from the hustle and bustle of the school. He stretched out, enjoying the crisp night air. He was wearing tight blue jeans and a white t-shirt that read:

so many boys

so little time

He sighed and rested his head on his hands. Harry was late but that in itself wasn't unusual. Harry was one of the two most sought after guys at Hogwarts and he couldn't walk through the corridors of the school without being accosted several times on his way somewhere. And Harry being Harry, he couldn't tell them to fuck off as Draco usually did - he was after all the other most sought after guy at Hogwarts!

What to do, what to do, Draco mused. There were only two options so it should have been an easy decision but it wasn't and Draco was starting to feel fraught with indecision. Two options - to be with Harry or not to be with Harry, that is the question. He knew which option he preferred but was it the right one?

Keeping Harry safe was his utmost priority right now but that conflicted with Lucius' plans for Draco after school finished. Lucius thought Draco was just going through a phase and that soon he would snap out of it. That was what Draco had thought at first too, but now he knew better.

"Harry, Harry, Harry, what am I going to do with you?" Draco said quietly to himself.

"I don't know," a voice came teasingly out of the darkness, "I can think of a few things."

Harry's face appeared as he pulled his invisibility cloak off.

Draco was so startled he almost fell off the tower. "You prick! What the fuck do you think you're doing, sneaking up on me like that??"

Harry grabbed Draco's arm before he got too close to the edge. "I'm sorry but I couldn't get here without the cloak. You know what those halls are like at this time of night."

Draco shook himself free of Harry and sat up. He stared silently into the darkness trying to ignore how sexy Harry looked in the green shirt he had bought for him, it went perfectly with the deep green jeans Harry was wearing with it.

"Listen, Drac, as I was coming here tonight, I almost ran into McGonagall and Snape. They were talking about you, actually I think they were looking for you. It sounded serious," Harry said, wishing Draco would look at him. He'd obviously appeared when Draco was pondering something he didn't want Harry to know about.

Draco turned to look his boyfriend. "We'd better go then," he drawled coldly, reminiscent of the Draco of old.

Harry nodded, trying to keep his expression neutral. Draco didn't need him adding to his worries right now and besides, Harry thought, it was childish to get upset just because Draco had spoken so coldly to him. He's just worried about what this is all about, Harry reasoned.

The two boys got up, Harry tucking the cloak under his arm, and they left the tower.

~ Professor Dumbledore's Office ~

"We couldn't find him," McGonagall said apologetically to the headmaster. She was sitting opposite Dumbledore who was seated behind his desk. Snape was pacing around the room like a caged lion.

"Sit down, Severus, you're making me dizzy," Dumbledore said softly.

Snape stopped pacing but did not sit. "I don't like it. Potter is missing too."

"Well, obviously wherever they are, they are together," McGonagall said imperiously.

"Indeed they are," said Dumbledore before calling out, "come in."

The door opened and a light and a dark head peered around.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter. Just the student's we've been looking for. Please sit down," Dumbledore said solemnly. Harry and Draco sat down in the chairs next to McGonagall and stared expectantly at the headmaster.

"Mr. Malfoy, it is my sad duty to inform you that your father died earlier today in a freak accident at Malfoy Manor. Your mother is fine and will be here in a few days to see you once she has finalised all the arrangements that such an event entails," Dumbledore finished speaking and all four of them turned to Draco so see his reaction.

Draco was staring in shock at Dumbledore. This was almost too easy. It couldn't be true. His father must have faked his death. One look at Dumbledore's face told him that it was true - his father was truly gone. Now the second option he had been contemplating earlier didn't exist and it just seemed too....easy. A tear escaped Draco's eye, followed by another and another.

Harry made a whimpering noise deep in his throat and gathered Draco in his arms. He rubbed Draco's back soothingly and kissed his neck.

"I'm so sorry, my dragon," he whispered in Draco's ear. To his intense shock, Draco started giggling. Harry pulled back slightly and stared into Draco's shining silver eyes.

"He's gone into shock," Snape stated grimly.

"No, no," Draco managed to get out while still giggling like a schoolgirl. "I just...." He swallowed and tried to speak again. "I thought I would have to break up with Harry at the end of the year, to keep him safe from my father. But now that he's gone I don't have to. I can be with him forever."

Harry grinned back at Draco, it all made sense now as he remembered Draco's revelations courtesy of The Veritaserum Incident. Harry had been dreading the end of school as he'd suspected that Draco would do something stupid like break up with him under the pretext of 'saving' him. While it was good to see Draco acting so noble and principled, Harry knew he would fall apart without Draco by his side. He pulled Draco back into a tight hug, pushing aside the feeling that it was wrong to celebrate someone's death, however bad they might have been.

Chapter Seventeen - Oh Happy Day