tied together

Chapter 12

A/N The next chapter is the epilogue! This has been quite a ride and I'm thinking about another. Feedback is much appreciated!

The morning brought the distinct sound of gossip being spread. Harry and Draco could feel the weight of many pairs of eyes on them as they made their way to the Great Hall for the first time in a while. Draco came to sit with the Gryffindors, much to the protest of the Slytherins.

"Hey." They said sleepily as they sat down across from Ron and Hermione. Today Ron was looking ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry mate. I totally didn't expect this and I reacted awfully. I was a git."

"Glad to see you've come to your senses," Harry replied. They started eating, the tension resolved. Soon the heard the telltale sounds of owls.

"I bet we made the Prophet." Draco mumbled.

Sure enough, when the owl landed in front of the group, Harry and Draco were on the front page.

The Boy Who Lived, with a Former Death Eater? was the headline, with a picture of them kissing in the shadows of a building. It went to speculate whether it was genuine, so on and so forth. Harry was irritated.

"Do they have to print every aspect of my life?" He sighed, but went back to his breakfast.

"It's fine, they'll eventually see that this is real." Draco had turned to Harry to soothe him.

"I know. I should've gotten used to this by now."

"It's okay. I'm a little angry too. Do you want to leave?"

"No, we should stay." Harry looked around, and, sure enough, everyone was looking at them.

"We should just shut them up." Draco said, standing up and pulling Harry with him. Harry was pulled into a kiss and dipped by Draco. They both smiled, enjoying the gasps. When they pulled away there were a few cheers from different tables.

"Called it!" Came a shout from the Ravenclaw table. Typical. Everyone went back to their meal. The pair could visibly feel less people looking at them.

***

"Do you suppose we should do anything about the bond?" Harry asked Draco later as they were relaxing on the Gryffindor couch.

"No, I think we're fine. Unless you want to do something?"

"I'm good," Harry smiled. "I've got all I need here."

"That was so cheesy," Draco shook his head, smiling. Harry pulled him closer, so they were almost kissing.

"True, though." He received a kiss in response.