Drarry - It Was All Just a Game (REWRITE - MATURE VERSION)

CHAPTER 74 - THE GRYFFINDORKS

Draco braced himself several days later when Harry returned from treatment. He met Harry outside the Hospital Wing, waiting for him to get his blood drawn and weight checked by Madame Pomfrey (which Harry always closed his eyes at).

Harry felt Draco's hand as he walked down the hall, but then reached out to his invisible arm and pulled him into the closest alcove. He then dipped underneath the cloak. "Hey you," Harry said.

"Hey you. I'm sorry," Draco started with, but pulled him into a long hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Shut up," Harry said. "It's okay."

Draco frowned. "It's not okay."

Harry pulled back, but still had his arms around him. "When you got your Dark Mark, all you did was care about me and my reaction and how I would feel. When I found out, I couldn't be there for you to help you get through your own heartbreak, of course. You had to swallow down your own feelings for me for years. If we spend all our time worrying about me and how I feel, who's going to care about you?"

Draco blinked, taken aback a bit.

"I want to be there for you when you're having a hard time, not stress you out more. I reckon worrying about me is causing you more heartache than the actual marriage and I don't want to do that to you. I have support. You don't need to fear hurting me on top of being devastated yourself. You don't want to be in an arranged marriage. You don't want to marry anyone at all."

"Not anyone that isn't you. I'd love to marry you." Draco frowned. "I mean that."

"I know." Harry pulled him into another hug. "This is about you and your life, it's not about me."

Draco rubbed his back. "Harry, come on, you have to be jealous and raging about it, too."

"Oh, I'm so jealous. So jealous. If I could find out where the Greengrass' live, I'd probably set their house on fire, but that'd be counterproductive."

Draco burst out into laughter. "What is it with you and blowing things up? Azkaban, now the Greengrass' house."

"It sounds like it'd be fun, sounds like I'd get out a lot of rage."

Draco laughed. "It sounds fun."

"Anyway. I don't want to cause you more woes. I know how scared you are of hurting me and I don't want you to feel that way on top of whatever else you're feeling. Focus on the marriage, not on making me feel better. I can manage that myself."

"I just remember signing the stupid thing because I thought I wasn't even going to be alive. It was so stupid. I should have refused or thought of some way out of it."

"It's what you had to do. I know how hard your father is on you. I saw the memory. You were just doing what you needed to so he wouldn't have called Tom Riddle on you. It's not your fault. And I'm glad you're alive to deal with it. We'll think of something."

Draco frowned and kissed his forehead, and then he kissed him.

Harry kissed him back longer than Draco expected, and in fact pulled back slightly to see if Harry would follow his lips, which he did.

Then they walked to the Common Room under the cloak. However, as they stepped in, Draco's foot was caught on the lip on the floor of the portrait, causing him to stumble forward and fall to the ground, taking the cloak with him. Harry remained upright, though had to catch his footing before he began to chuckle. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Draco said, rolling over. Harry stuck out a hand, pulling him up.

"Thanks," Draco laughed too, and then was ready to kiss his cheek, but a voice stopped him.