One and The Other

One and The Other

*****

A momentous day. Boys becoming men, girls becoming women; in the eyes of society at least.

The last day of term in their Seventh Year. Everybody frantically packing because they'd been so drunk the previous night they slept in with a hangover until late in the morning.

Harry Potter closed his trunk and lay back on his bed. Something landed on his chest and he found it to be one of Ron's shirts. Ron was slightly manic with his attempts to find all of his belongings and get them packed away, so manic he consistently threw things about the room. Harry threw the shirt back over and it landed in Ron's trunk. He stood up and left the dorms.

He found Hermione sitting in the commons. She, having sensibly packed the previous day, was ensconced in a book but looked up when she heard footsteps. She smiled.

"Harry. All packed?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd go for a walk. Ron's gone a bit loopy trying to get everything done."

"Maybe I should help him."

Harry smiled. "I somehow think that would distract him even more," he said. Hermione blushed but looked pleased at the words. She stood, depositing her book on the arm of the chair.

"I'll go and see how he's getting on. Unless you wanted someone to walk with you?"

"No. I'm fine on my own. I might run into someone, anyway. Who knows?"

"There's someone you want to run into, isn't there? And I can bet I know who it is." Hermione gave Harry a knowing look and received a firm one in return.

"I'm not planning on finding anyone specific."

"All right." Hermione shrugged but there was still that shrewd twinkle in her eye. "I'll see you later then." She waited for Harry's nod and then made for the boys' dormitory. Harry ended up sitting on the steps in front of the main entrance of the castle. He didn't look up when he felt someone sit next to him. They stayed silent for a few minutes until,

"We wasted so much time, didn't we?"

Harry smiled. "Yes, we did. I think we managed to make up for a great deal of it, though, don't you?"

There was a low chuckle. "I'd say so. Especially when you consider the circumstances. I've certainly the memories."

"Will it be more than memories?" Harry tried to disguise the hopefulness in his voice with casual intrigue. "Will it be more than past tense?"

"I don't know what will be. I only know what I want to be."

Neither of them were sure how it started. Neither of them cared. Neither of them knew when fierce lust and need turned into tenderness.

Neither of them admitted the passion had grown and grown and grown, exponentially, throughout every single one of their encounters. Neither of them admitted that if it was only about physical gratification, there would never have been the arguments and the fights and the unfounded jealousy. Neither of them admitted that if it was only about physical gratification, it wouldn't have lasted two years; two years where neither of them strayed away from each other.

They both admitted it was something they needed. They both eventually admitted it was something they wanted.

They both knew they wanted to carry on together, perhaps in a more formal sense than they had previously. They both knew if they weren't close, they would miss each other. They both knew, apart from a certain amount of irrelevant people's disapproval, there was very little to stop them being together openly. The people who would oppose them didn't matter. Most of the people who mattered would approve, or at least accept, and the rest of the people who mattered were dead. A year of battles and sieges had seen to that.

They both spoke words of caring in amongst heated, hurried kisses, gropes and embraces but neither ever spoke of love even though they very well felt it. Two people, neither of whom would normally beg for anything, would get on their knees for each other without even being asked. They made the most of the occasions where they had more than scant minutes to do what they wished.

Palms ran down sides, hips and thighs; fingers traced over arms, shoulders and chest; mouths trailed hot paths everywhere and anywhere. Sleep was forgone without a second thought for extra moments clinging to each other, one gasping, crying tears from sensation alone while the other whimpered, burying themselves in such extreme heat. They both let themselves be carried in the waves and let their partner tug them tumbling over the edge. They would scream; breathy moans and hurried whispers somehow transforming into powerful cries and shouts at just the right time.

Then there was the first night they slept in the same bed without even so much as kissing in any other way than comforting and chaste. One had gone to The Other, sobbing so hard they couldn't breathe and literally collapsing in their arms. One had gone to The Other, having lost someone they loved, knowing they would be understood. The Other had held, comforted, allowed One to cry in his arms. The Other had let One pound his fists against his chest, ignoring his physical pain and focusing on his partner's anguish until the full weight of One's body slumped against him with exhaustion. After fitful sleep, The Other had let One lose his thoughts by shagging him. The Other had kissed away the tears One shed when they both came.

After that night, they shared many nights together merely holding each other or talking about what might be. They both realised it didn't only have to be about sex and they both realised they didn't really want it to be. They never spoke about the changes in their relationship. They didn't need to.

"And what do you want to be?" Harry asked, nervousness apparent in his voice. He turned to look at his companion, who met his gaze.

"You know what I want, Harry. Don't pretend otherwise. You're my One."

"You're my Other."

"I know," spoken with a small smile. "Harry, you know that thing we never talk about?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"I do. I am."

"I know. I am too. I do too and... it feels right to admit it."

"Good because I plan on admitting it more than just this once."

"Where do we go now?"

"I have to go home. Although, it's empty now; nobody else lives there. It's not like the house-elves would mind if I took someone back with me."

"What does this mean, Draco?"

"It means... Wait for me on the Platform at Hogsmeade. Don't get on the train. I'll find you. I'll take you with me."

Harry nodded. "I'll wait."

Draco leant over, kissing Harry without checking to see if there was anybody around first. Harry didn't pull back at the first touch because 'anyone could see'. They both knew it didn't matter anymore. Draco caught Harry's bottom lip in his teeth and then swiped his tongue across the same patch of skin before dipping his tongue inside Harry's mouth as their lips fused together.

Undulating movements, quiet sighs, tentative touches.

Apart from the occasional brushes of nose and cheek, they didn't touch at all outside of the kiss. When they broke away, Harry leant his forehead against Draco's shoulder and Draco wrapped an arm around him, leaning his chin on the top of his head.

"Harry... do you promise you'll wait?"

"I promise."

"Why?"

"Because of the thing I do and the thing I am."

"What thing do you do? What thing are you?" Draco asked, pushing as far as he could to hear the words.

"The thing I do is love you. The thing I am is in love with you." Harry's hand slipped onto Draco's thigh as he spoke.

Draco bit his lip to halt the exultant smile that was threatening to appear and then kissed Harry on the head.

"As long as we're even then."

"Always were."

- fin -