The Journey

22. Look Up!

By the time Harry had arrived back at Hogwarts, breakfast was being served.  It was also not a school day, and for this he was grateful.  All the more time with his friends, he thought.  He had stopped along the way, admiring the flowers, the fields, the forest, the black lake, everything.  Admiration was a good way to spend time, and if Mother Nature had her way, everyone would do it.  From now on, Harry was going to admire her beauty every single day.  He had so much to live for.  He made his way up the steps, and could hear chattering in the great hall.

Suddenly a chair scraped back, and the talking died down.  Draco must have just received his letter.  Smiling to himself, he pushed forward.  Opening the huge door just a crack, he could hear the sassy voice of Draco Malfoy.  "I hate Potter".  Harry smiled at those words, knowing for a fact that they weren't true.  The voice of Snape ran through the hall, asking, "And why exactly do you hate him Mr Malfoy".

"Because nothing he says makes sense", came the reply.  At this stage, Harry had fully entered the great hall, only to see that Draco's back was towards him, as he was facing the staff.  He put a finger against his lips as if to silence everyone, and they all turned their attention back to the Slytherin.  "What has he done wrong this time?", asked Snape.

"Every time he writes to me, he ends his letter with the same stupid thing", he ranted.  He bowed his head again and read the note yet again.  "Listen to this.  If you're having a down day, look up.  What the hell is that supposed to mean.  He keeps saying it.  I'll hex him when he gets back, stupid Gryffindor", he sneered with absolutely no hate and malice in his voice.

"Perhaps you should read that again Draco", said Pansy in a shaky voice.  He turned around, still with his head down, looking at the words that Harry had written.  He gave a dramatic sigh, rolled his eyes, and said again, "If you're having a down day, look up", and when he looked up he saw Harry standing at the door, leaning against the frame, with arms folded across his muscular chest.  He opened his mouth in surprise, but didn't get to say anything else, because at that moment, he knew what Harry had meant by the words.

"Harry..." he started.  And just to see the look on everyone's faces at his choice of words, Harry spoke very clearly.  "Hey baby", he simply said.  He left the door frame, opened his arms wide, and hoped to all the gods that Draco would run into them.  And he did.  Draco dropped the letter and ran like the devil was after him.  Throwing his arms around Harry's neck was the equivalent to coming home.  To being bathed in warm sunlight after a very cold gloomy day.  He started shaking with sobs, because he couldn't believe that Harry was back.

Harry wrapped his arms around the Slytherin, and held onto him as if his life depended on it.  He kept whispering words of endearment in his ear, telling him how much he had missed him, and how he would never go away again.  And Draco kept sobbing, telling him how much he hated him.  You're an idiot Potter, and please don't do me any favors Potter, and where the fuck have you been Potter.  Harry smiled through everything.  He wasn't going to let go any time soon.

He tightened his hold on Draco and said something in his ear.  "Wanna go somewhere with me?", and Draco, not trusting his voice at the moment just nodded his response.  "Please excuse us Professor, Draco and I need to talk", he said.  They all raised their glasses and Harry took Draco out of the great hall, and silently they made their way to the Room of Requirement.  The students in the hall were stumped.  They had no idea what was going on.  What the hell just happened?

Those in the know, could see their confusion.  And although they knew it wasn't their story to tell, they had to say something.  So Pansy stood up, cleared her throat and started talking.  "Draco and Harry have made peace with each other.  From there, they began to have feelings of a romantic kind.  I hope that you can see that they need each other, so please don't judge them, and don't get in their way.  This is something that they need to sort out among themselves.  All right?", she asked.

Her words were met with the nodding of heads, and even if they didn't 'get' what had just happened, who were they anyway to prevent it or interfere in it?  Let the men have what they wanted, even if it was each other.  The war was over, and they had all been told that Harry had been away, mending fences that had been broken after the war.  Seems he had mended things between himself and Draco too.

Hermoine was happy.  At seeing that Harry was back, and he most certainly looked happier, and Draco's face when he had uttered his name!  Ron had a strange look on his face.  He knew that the two men were writing to each other, but he had definitely heard Harry call Draco baby.  What was up with that.  Hermoine saw his face, and she started talking to their friends at the table.  "Harry has liked Draco since fifth year.  He was always drawn to him, even when he was being an insufferable prat.  And if Draco can put that happy look on his face, then I won't stand in their way.  And neither should any of you", she said smartly.  

Ron looked at her and nodded his head.  Who was he to argue against his girlfriend.  If Harry was happy, he was happy.

So that's what his words had meant.  Draco had bitched to Blaise about how he never understood what Harry had written.  It seems that Potter - no, Harry - wasn't so stupid and oblivious after all.  He smiled at the way he had made his entrance, and calling Draco baby in front of the whole school, made him envy their freedom to be who they wanted.  But he was glad, especially for Draco.  He had raved about Potter for most of their school years, and now at least he knew why.

The other eighth years were in wonder.  If two enemies could love, and they knew Harry could love with all his heart, then maybe the world wasn't such a bad place after all.  Maybe, they would all have a LOOK UP! moment in their lives.  They finished breakfast hurriedly, and made their way to their common room.