Memory Loss (Harry Potter Drarry slash)

34: [Parallel Universe 7] Making Up and Going Back

He was nowhere to be found, and for every minute that passed, for every room that he found deserted, Draco's panic increased a little bit more. Where the Hell had he gone? The longer he searched-and the less he found-the more worried he became that he might be too late.

What if he had Disapparated and planned to never come back? Then what would happen when the other Harry and Draco returned from the Dark Plane and they were swung right back into their own world? Would they never see each other again, until the day they faced each other in the war? Until one of them killed the other?

He did not want that. Oh, how he did not want that.

"Harry!" he yelled hysterically. "Harry, where the fuck are you?"

"Looking for someone?"

He swirled around. Piper was standing in the archway to the parlour, studying him with an enigmatic glint in her pale eyes. The sun hit her face at an odd angle and made her left eye glow eerily golden.

He hurried up to her. "Yes! Harry-have you seen Harry?"

"What's the hurry? You look as if you've seen a ghost." She gazed up towards the upper floors. "Grandma hasn't come back again, has she?"

"No, she's done haunting this place," he assured her. "Harry. Where's Harry?"

She pointed towards the open back door. "He went out there maybe ten minutes ago, and he looked quite pissed off. Did you two have a row again?"

Draco did not bother to answer, but ran straight out into the sunny weather in search of Harry. If he was right, there was only one place he could be: the lake. Probably passing the time throwing rocks in the water.

He was right.

"Harry?" he said uncertainly.

The other man did not answer, but threw an even bigger rock in the lake.

"Harry, may I speak with you, please?"

"Go on-speak. You're so good at it," Harry bit off furiously.

Draco slowly approached him by the shore. "I deserve that," he admitted. "And I most likely deserve much more, too."

"You can bet your arse you do."

SPLOSH!

Draco nervously kicked around in the grass for a while. "I, er ... I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean it. You said all the things I've been waiting all my life to hear, but I wasn't listening. You see, I've never allowed myself to feel anything for anyone before ... I forced myself to be completely cold-hearted and emotionless to cope with the circumstances of my life. But to tell you the truth, from the very first moment I met you, you got through to me, Harry. When we were friends at Hogwarts ... you made me see that there are other things in life than power and military careers. And now ... these days we've spent here ... you've broken down my defences completely."

"So what? That doesn't matter, does it? You didn't care at all, you said. You were just using me."

SPLASH, SPLOSH!

"That was just a defence mechanism," Draco said awkwardly. "Last night, I felt something that I've never felt before in my life, and I didn't know what it was. It was wonderful ... I couldn't believe how good it felt to be with you, and I just wanted to stay there with you for ever, that's why I told you to stay. I did want you to stay. But when I woke up in the morning, I freaked out. I had never felt anything close to that before-I had never even liked anyone before-and all of a sudden I got the whole package.