Drarry One Shots

Part Two: What Our Saviour Wants, Our Saviour Shall Get!

A/N Set about five years later...

Warning: Attempted assault and some strong language.

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Draco's slim, elegant hands were expressively animated as he spoke, waving around in manner that reflected his passion for his subject, as he talked to Pansy and George about the Ministry of Magic. Harry had long since stopped listening completely because all three were slipping into the territory of just ranting, instead his focus was elsewhere. That is, his focus was still on Draco, but rather than the current conversation, Harry was contemplating the arrangement they'd agreed upon just prior to going out. His focus was also half on his nerves and the meal they were going out for after their quick drink with George and Pansy but that was another matter entirely.

He'd just asked Draco the time but had been ignored. Bad enough on its own but a double sin, considering...

Harry watched those hands, almost captivated. Despite Draco's work, they were surprisingly unstained and well cared for, and manicured to perfection. He wore on his left hand his Malfoy signet ring. On the thumb of his right hand was another ring that no one knew of its true significance beyond Harry, Draco, and Narcissa. It was somewhat heavy and crudely made, silver, engraved with ancient French runes, and with four gemstones set within four stars engraved into the silver. It was also in the region of 1300 years old, if not more. It was hard to date exactly without ruining the integrity of the magic that the ring held but that didn't change the fact that it was absolutely priceless.

It amused Harry to see Draco wear it, not that Draco ever took it off. Not since the day Harry presented it to him some five years previously when their travels in Barbie had taken them from Forest of Broceliande to Burgoyne in France, then from Taormina in Sicily to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, then onto the Strandzha Mountain in Bulgaria and back to Bayeux in France—of all places. The journey had been long and not without its adventures but finally, Harry had found what he'd been looking for: a ring that was last recorded in history with any certainty when the French Viviane presented it to Sir Launcelot during the times of Merlin and King Arthur. Harry knew this because he had read about it in Merlin's book and found an unwitting hint to its existence in Skeeter's Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore and another clue in Bathilda Bagshot's A History of Magic. He had followed the vague clues from there, pouring over books like Sites of Magical History and Book in the Vault of Ice. He'd even returned to Beedle the Bard. Once checked and re-checked for curses and as promised to Narcissa, Harry presented the ring to Draco as the ultimate protection against those who might wish him harm. They both knew it was important; Harry and the Weasleys may have forgiven the Malfoys but the outside world was a different matter. It was the cornerstone of trust in their relationship because Draco understood exactly what it meant to wear such an item but also because he knew no one could know.

With the secrecy surrounding the discovery of the Ring of Dispel came a huge sacrifice on Harry's part, for although he'd been the one to research and retrieve such a rare and important ancient artefact, he couldn't add it to his portfolio of findings since the war. Not that this particular find mattered these days and nor did he ever view it as a sacrifice on his part but, when Harry's career was taking off, the discovery would have been a huge boost to his credentials. The Ring of Dispel far surpassed owning the Deathly Hallows or finding the rare objects that Tom Riddle had made into Horcruxes. However, the ring and its known provenance still failed to exist on official records, only in Harry's private notes of his findings held with his lawyers; sealed notes that would not be released until Harry's or Draco's death, depending on who outlived the other, all because Harry didn't want anyone to come hunting for it.

Still, the secrecy over his first find outside school didn't stop him getting his first job with the Unspeakables, working in Magical Heritage and Artefacts and Ancient Lore. It turned out that Harry did really enjoy researching ancient magical objects and gaining knowledge of old, and often rare, magic and its value that went far beyond the average witch or wizard's understanding. It also turned out that Harry was very, very good at researching and finding rare artefacts. A natural, one might say. Perhaps Dumbledore had taught him something after all, starting with the Philosopher's Stone all those years ago.