Blackberry Jam (A Drarry FanFiction)

Chapter Twenty Seven

   Draco smiled, his tear tracks already drying on his face in the summer heat, and took Harry's hand. "We never stopped being friends," he said heavily. "We just got a bit rubbish at it for a while." That made them both chuckle, and he rubbed the back of Harry's knuckles with his thumb. He sighed and bit his lip. "Can I tell you truthfully what I've been thinking?"

Harry nodded. "You can tell me anything," he said, and he meant it. He would rather struggle through some unpleasant revelations than carry on like they had been.

Draco took another breath. "After what happened..." He didn't need to call it a kiss, it was awkward enough, so Harry just nodded in encouragement for him to continue. "I was confused. Boys, men, aren't supposed to do that, it's against the law."

Harry could feel himself going red again, and he looked down in shame. It was an act of perversion, it was unnatural. "I know," he mumbled.

"But," Draco carried on. "It didn't 'disgust' me, like you said."

Harry looked back up. "Huh?" he said, too surprised to formulate anything more coherent.

Draco smiled, and tightened his grip on Harry's hands. "It didn't, I promise," he said. "It surprised me, and you seemed so upset I just wanted to try and assure you it was okay, but as time went on that didn't seem to be helping, so I thought I'd try a different approach and give you some space." He shrugged his shoulders. "That didn't work either, so now I'm doing what I think we should have done in the first place, and just talk about it."

Harry laughed and shifted so he was in a slightly more comfortable position. He was covered in scrapes on his arms and legs, probably on his face too, all shining red with fresh blood. But none looked so bad that he was actually going to need stitches or anything, which was a relief. "I remember being confused with so many thoughts about the war, and how we wouldn't be living together anymore, and I just wanted to be close to you. I guess I did it in the wrong way."

Draco edged nearer, his smile broadening. "But we're still living together now," he said. "And we can be close in other ways still, ways that are okay."

"Like this?" Harry said, lifting up their entwined hands.

"Yes!" Draco cried, giving them a squeeze. "And like this." He let go with one hand to run his fingers through Harry's hair again, making him giggle.

"That feels nice," he admitted.

Draco looked at him shyly. "You can do it to me, if you want?"

Harry bit his lip. "Okay," he said, smiling too. His cheeks felt tight from the drying tears, but he was so happy he didn't care. He lifted his hand and let his fingers drift through Draco's fine, blond hair. "Yours is so much softer than mine," he marvelled.

"I like how thick yours is," Draco said, and Harry beamed. "Harry," he said, a little more seriously. "I want you to know, really know, that there's no one else like you, no one else I want to be close with like this. It's...it's important to me that you know that. Know that you're special."

Harry could feel tears threatening at the corner of his eyes again, but this time they were happy ones. He was such a hopeless case, and he chuckled a little at himself. "You're special too," he admitted. "There's no one like you. I'm so happy we got picked to live together."

"Me too," Draco agreed.

They sat for a bit, hand in hand, and Harry felt the world slowly righting itself once more around him. He would be quite happy to forget all about the last few months.

"Come on," Draco said after a time, getting to his feet and pulling Harry along with him. "Let's find your glasses."

"Oh bloody hell," he groaned. "What an idiot, I do hope they're not damaged, that would be dreadful."

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Draco to locate the missing spectacles, and aside from being dusty they were miraculously intact. "There you go," he laughed, handing them back, and the world became clear again as Harry put them back on his face. He felt like he was seeing it afresh, with new eyes. "Your first birthday present."

Harry sighed contentedly. "Happy birthday to me," he said.

"Now," Draco announced cheerfully, picking up his bicycle where it had dropped next to Harry's. Unlike his glasses, he could see that there were a few parts bent along the frame and front wheel that would need bending back into place, but it wasn't anything they couldn't do themselves. "How about we head home and you can have the rest of your presents?"

Harry blushed, again, and picked up his own battered bike. "After my appalling behaviour," he said. "I doubt I deserve any presents."

"Nonsense," Draco chided with a grandiose air. "It's your birthday sir, one can be as brattish as one likes on one's birthday!"

Harry laughed and gave him a shove. "Shut up," he said, but privately he was extremely pleased Draco was making a joke about it all.

As they walked their bikes back to the cottage, Harry vowed to himself never to be so selfish again in his entire life, and if he and Draco ever had a misunderstanding again, he promised himself they would talk it through. It was only alright to forgive himself if he learned from his mistakes.

"Did Mrs Figg make a birthday cake?" he asked tentatively as the half painted cottage came into view around the corner.

"I made a cake," Draco said proudly, as if it was his greatest ever accomplishment.

Harry laughed, delighted. "Does it have blackberries on it?" he asked.

Draco turned to face him, and the warmth in his eyes made Harry feel very loved indeed.

"Of course," he said simply.