Summer Rain

Prologue

It was a tranquil evening, bathed in a heat that was uncharacteristic for a British summer. The beach was softly lit by a full moon that gave the thick fluffy clouds in the sky a blue hue. The water was calm and lapped at the edge of the sand. Gentle mood music could be heard coming from a wedding being held at a nearby hotel.

Harry Potter sighed in content and leaned back into his boyfriend's embrace. The couple had abandoned the wedding reception to watch the sunset on the beach and afterwards had kicked off their shoes and taken a walk hand-in-hand along the soft sand. They chose a secluded area of the beach to sit and enjoy each others company and had remained seated there for the past hour and a half.

Harry was seated in the V of his boyfriend's legs with his back against his boyfriend's chest. Strong arms encircled Harry's waist and soft lips nuzzled the side of his throat. Harry turned in the embrace and smiled up at his boyfriend.

His boyfriend was none other than his schoolboy rival, Draco Malfoy.

It had been two years since Dumbledore's death and Harry's subsequent departure from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry had defeated Voldemort in the summer after what would have been his graduation from Hogwarts. Harry had hit Voldemort with a spell that had disintegrated him before Harry's eyes, while Draco stood by and watched.

Despite initial concerns as to Draco and Severus Snape's character following Snape hitting Dumbledore with Avada Kedavra, it turned out that Snape had done so to not only save Draco's life but also secure Harry a link to Voldemort and it was a plot that Dumbledore had agreed upon -- if it was ever necessary for Snape to take Dumbledore's life to protect Snape's position as a spy, it was to be done.

Snape had continued to spy for Harry to assist his quest to vanquish Voldemort but Draco had fallen to pieces following that disaster the night of Dumbledore's death, and had come to Harry to plead his forgiveness.

It had taken much convincing on Draco's part, but Harry eventually relented. He demanded that Draco take an Unbreakable Vow that he would not return to Voldemort's service and the Dark Arts, which Draco took without hesitation. The pair became close friends, and eventually lovers, with Draco joining Harry, Ron and Hermione in their search for Voldemort.

Harry's relationship with Ginny never rekindled; although he still cared about her, he found he had no physical attraction to her once he was not in contact with her on a daily basis and discovered he was, in fact, bisexual with a stronger physical attraction to males.

Harry and Draco's relationship had started out rocky. Having previously been bitter rivals, it had been difficult at first to shake old habits. Initially they had fought, and argued on almost a daily basis, and once even ended a day with a vicious fist fight that landed them both in St Mungo's Hospital for treatment.

It hadn't taken Draco long to warm to Harry once both discovered a mutual attraction to each other. However, Draco continued to struggle to interact civilly with Harry's friends, despite Harry's repeated requests for Draco to make an effort with them.

The result was one day after the usual insults of Harry's friends fell from Draco's lips, Harry had turned around and smacked him in the face out of frustration.

The couple didn't speak for two weeks following that incident.

They eventually ironed out the creases in their relationship and became inseparable. This really had no consequences for Draco as he had lost contact with his friends from school after he defected and his family were just a lost cause, so there was no one to disapprove of his relationship with Harry. Snape had tried to dissuade it, but stated he wasn't 'concerned enough with teenage angst to waste time disapproving' and told Draco he was old enough to suffer the consequences of his decisions.

However, it took Harry's friends a lot longer to warm to the relationship. Harry had suffered the cold shoulder and long lectures trying to talk him out of his feelings for Draco. Initially, they wouldn't even engage in conversation with Draco save for a mutual flinging of insults with left Harry ignoring both Draco and his best friends.

But, Harry and Draco had stuck to their guns and eventually convinced everyone that they were serious about each other.

Early into their quest and shortly after he started dating Harry, Draco had abandoned his family, who remained unwaveringly loyal to the Dark Lord. His parents never actually disowned him, it was simply a matter of them not making an effort to find where Draco had gone to.

Draco's horrific fear of Voldemort following his brief stint as a supporter (and subsequent attempt by Voldemort to make him a murderer) left him wanting nothing to do with his parents. He suspected his mother was remaining loyal out of fear, but felt that if she was not strong enough to deflect from the monster who plotted for Draco's inevitable death upon his failure to murder, then he wanted nothing more to do with his family.

This sealed Draco's decision and after many hours of negotiations and paperwork, Draco was granted emancipation from his parents by the Ministry of Magic and secretly moved in with the Slytherin Head of House, Severus Snape.

Following that, Harry and Draco became much closer, which is what lead to Draco's presence at Voldemort's defeat. Any training or learning Harry endured with a view to fighting Voldemort, Draco endured as well. To this day, Harry swore that without Draco's presence, Voldemort would still be alive.

"I guess we should be getting back. They'll be wondering where we've gotten to," Harry murmured and ran his hand up Draco's thigh.

"Hmmm, they probably just think we're fucking on the beach," Draco smirked. "And I think that they don't have such a bad idea." Draco turned Harry's face towards him and their lips met in a deep kiss. Harry pulled back and smiled.

"I agree, but I feel guilty enough already for missing two hours of their reception," Harry admitted and melted back against Draco.

"Harry, I doubt anyone's even noticed," Draco pointed out. "We were lost in a sea of redheads has it was."

"But it's Ron and Hermione's wedding," Harry sighed. "I'm the Best Man and I feel guilty for wanting to be out here with you rather than in there with them."

"Well, of course you'd rather be out here with me. Who wouldn't?" Draco scoffed and then laughed. Harry smacked Draco's arm lightly. "But seriously, babe, we won't be missed. We stayed for the most important bits like the speeches and cake. So, let's do what they all expect us to do..." Draco lapped softly at Harry's neck and Harry could feel Draco's erection pressing into the small of his back.

"The music's lovely. Let's dance?" Harry suggested and turned around to kneel in front of Draco and looked deeply into his cool grey eyes. Draco scrutinized him for a few moments and then nodded. Harry stood up and held his hand down to Draco to help him stand.

Draco brushed all the sand off his clothes and then pulled Harry close to him. Draco was a few inches taller than Harry, which made them fit together in each others arms perfectly. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist and Draco held him close around his shoulders and rested his cheek on the top of Harry's silky head.

The young couple swayed together slowly to the music, completely lost in the moment. Just as Draco tipped Harry's face up and leant down to kiss him, they felt the first few rain drops of a summer rain fall on their faces.

Harry laughed and looked up to the sky as the rain started to fall harder. "We better hurry back or we'll get soaked!" Harry cried but Draco gave him a quick kiss and started their dance again.

Harry looked at him briefly as if he was crazy and then smiled and shook his head. This is just the sort of crazy thing Draco loved to do, so Harry melted back into the embrace.

"I love you, Harry. More than you will ever know," Draco murmured into Harry's ear and sucked gently on the lobe. Harry shivered and revelled in the feeling of Draco's tongue.

Soon they were stumbling back onto the sand and lost in a passionate, wet and sandy embrace. Neither of them cared because the moment was perfect.

They became soaked right through and they proceeded with the most practical solution -- they stripped each other naked and soon Draco was making love to Harry on the beach, in the rain, and without any notion of anyone but themselves.

The next day, Draco disappeared and left Harry with nothing but that final memory of their night on the beach in the summer rain.