Of Horses And Waterfalls

35. Funding

After their bout of love making, Harry and Draco had taken a skinny dip in the water, and both had even stood under the waterfall, admiring each other's bodies with kisses and looks.  But it was time to get out and eat again, with both of them having worked up a hunger.  And no, it wasn't the sex kind of hunger, although Draco wouldn't mind another round on top his Daddy's cock.  

So with fresh food on their plates, and something to drink, they spoke about silly things.  Until Harry felt the need to voice what he so desperately wanted to know.  He just wasn't sure if Draco would be willing to share the information.  But Draco could see the shift in Harry, and wondered what was on his mind.  After eating, they cleared up and with the basket repacked, Harry lay down with his head on Draco's lap.

Draco was running his fingers through Harry's hair, and smiled when he saw Harry close his eyes in total relaxation.  He leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, a show of total and complete adoration.  "I love you Harry", he said sincerely to his lover.

Harry smiled.  "I know baby, I love you more", he said and rose up, leaning on his one elbow.  "I actually wanted to talk to you about something", he said.  Draco smiled and told him that whatever he wanted to talk about, he promised not to get angry or throw a hissy fit.  Harry laughed at those words and kissed him deeply yet again.

"I want to know what your father meant by the ranch showing a profit", he said looking into Draco's eyes.  Draco got a faraway look in his eyes, and Harry was thankful that he didn't get angry at his curiosity.  He took a deep breath and started telling Harry everything.

"My Aunt Bella left me the ranch as you know.  But after the death of her husband, she sort of lost who she was.  And in a sense I can understand it.  Losing someone that you have loved your whole life, and are still in love with, couldn't have been easy for her.  So, obviously because she became possessed with finding the person who was responsible for killing him, she just didn't bother with anything else.  One was the ranch.  The animals and the buildings, I mean you saw them when you first came here, how ruined and broken they were.  She just let it all go.  

It got so bad, that she even started to ignore basic hygiene.  And of course, the bills.  She had taken out a second mortgage on the ranch to do God knows what, but after skipping payments, the bank pulled in, demanded to take back the property by a certain date or else.  Well, she was killed in her hunt for revenge, and I was left with picking up the pieces.  I have changed the name of the ranch, as you know, and have had new contracts drawn up to make payments, but the ranch won't show a profit until the mortgage has been paid in full.  Not that we need to show profit, we just need not to have debt in the name of the ranch", he sighed.  

Harry slapped his own forehead.  "That's where I've seen you before!", exclaimed Harry.  "You came out of the bank manager's office that day.  I was sitting in the waiting area", he said.

"Oh my God Harry, was that you?  I didn't even notice, I mean I did, and I thought you looked familiar, but filed it away for later, because I was just so caught up in this whole inheritance thing, I honestly didn't think she would leave me anything.  I think the reason my father wants this ranch is because it's mine.  And I've never worked for it or earned it" he said with resign.

"Oh but you have baby.  You work hard for it every day love.  You get up early, you provide funding for food and materials.  you pay wages, you give a roof over so many heads, and now I hear you pay the mortgage.  Don't you dare sit there and tell me you never earned it or worked for it.  I will not allow it", stated Harry.

Draco looked at him and kissed him again.  "Thank you angel", he said with a smile.

"How much do you still owe?", asked Harry, hoping yet again that he hadn't overstepped any boundaries.  

Draco swallowed and answered softly, "Oh Harry".

"How much baby?", he asked again.

Draco looked at him and said, "Just under five hundred thousand pounds.  I haven't missed a single instalment, but the interest is torture", he claimed.  Harry smiled at him, and then he kissed him, and then he sat up straight and hugged Draco to his chest.  He wanted to offer his help, but was fearful of the response that he would get.  Or he could do it anonymously, and pray that Draco never found out.

But he didn't want there to be any secrets between them, and so went in for the kill.  He was going to talk about himself for the first time ever, and he only hoped that Draco would not be repulsed by the words that were going to come out of his mouth.  Draco saw the shift in his lover and frowned at him.  Harry poured him a new glass of wine, and opened himself another beer.  Then he started on his story, holding onto Draco's hand as if it were a life line, and begging him to not let go once you've heard it.

"My parents were killed when I was very young.  I was just a baby when a man broke into our home and killed them.  First my father and then my mother.  I recently found out that my mother died, trying to save me.  She made the ultimate sacrifice.  And for that I will always love her dearly.  The man who dropped my boxes off, Sirius who is as you know also my godfather, was blamed for the crime.  He was sent to prison without a trial, all because he 'was in the vicinity'.  So, I was sent to the next best thing, according to British law, and that was my mother's sister and her family", and here Harry took a pause, because the next words were going to be particularly hard to speak.

"They were extremely abusive Draco.  I know that you and Pansy have both seen my scars, that night when I had fever.  I mean it would be hard to miss them.  I was treated like a slave most of the time, I was beaten for the fun of it, and my reward - if I had been a good boy - was food.  I wasn't given food every day, and I think that day after working on your roof had me fainting for the first time in a long time", he said sadly.  

The silent tears that were running down Draco's face was heartbreaking, but Harry knew that he had to keep going.  He wiped them away with his thumb, and smiled.

"The day I turned 18, I left.  Because I could.  I left them a letter with one word on it.  All it said was goodbye.  Sirius told me that he had been granted guardianship over me, but because he couldn't produce any papers stating this, he was not allowed to have me.  In the meantime, the real culprits had been found and arrested, and he had been released so that he could start over.  He found out where I was living and kept an eye on me.  That's how we know each other", he said, remembering the day that Sirius had invited him in for some tea, and giving him a letter from the bank.

"My parents left me money Draco.  And I'm not talking about small change either.  I would like to help you pay for the ranch, if you'll let me", offered Harry.

Draco looked at him and he got tears in his eyes again.  "I would never ask that of you Harry", he said lovingly.

"But you didn't.  I'm offering, I want to do this Draco", he said.  "Please let me help you show your father that you don't need him, that we don't need him".

Draco thought about it for a while and answered.  "It's not that I don't have the money to pay Harry.  I will accept your help only if you accept that I will only allow you to pay half", he said making Harry smile wide.

Harry kissed him again, letting him know that he accepted what he had put on offer.  Together they were going to keep the ranch, and together they were going to fund it to keep it alive, and to keep it theirs.

Lucius Malfoy was in for a hell of a rude awakening.