Fourteen Thousand Galleons

No Amount of Amortentia

"Did she just —"

Harry nods and shoves the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Yes. She did. Damn it."

"Aunt Andr —"

"If you even so much as consider having a go at me for shining a light for that girl, Draco Lucius Malfoy, so help me Circe, I will have your mother here so fast —"

Draco holds his hands up in surrender and frowns weakly. "Wouldn't dream of it. I was only going to suggest that there may have been a more delicate manner in which —"

"Oh, bollocks, Draco!" Harry roars and slams his hands down on the table. He shoves himself up and leans forward, his head hanging down to his chest. "We've royally fucked up! I've royally fucked up! Damn it!"

Draco glances at Andromeda who has something of a little sly smirk on her face. She tilts her head as if to tell him to tend to Harry, and so he does. His hand lies flat on the small of Harry's back, fingers caressing small patterns to ease the tension. The slightest movement has Harry leaning further into Draco's touch and the raven haired wizard lifts his head. He takes one hand and runs it roughly through his hair. It pokes out everywhere and Draco has every urge to smooth it down again.

"Potter. This isn't going to be some quick fix. She has every right to be –"

"Yes, I'm aware, thank you," he says through gritted molars. "Surely, my intentions were enough to –"

"The path to Hell is paved with good intentions." Andromeda meets Draco's eye and he's suddenly overcome with the realization that the Black sisters are more similar than they are different. He's sure he's heard his mother say those exact words to Lucius.

Draco blinks and tries to encourage Harry to stand up and face him. When he maneuvers himself toe to toe with Draco, his eyes are downcast to their feet and a frown tugs at his lips. Everything else – Andromeda, the children, Tink popping in and out of the room – disappears. It's him and it's Harry facing down their problems much like they've done together for the past year.

"Dwelling on every wrong choice isn't going to make it better." Draco puts a finger under Harry's chin and tilts his head up to catch his gaze. "What you – we – need to do is be clear about our intentions and explain ourselves."

"Isn't that what we've just done?" A notch forms between Harry's dark brows. Draco grabs his hand and toys with his fingers. "Draco, I don't think she's going to forgive me for this. How am I any better than Ron? I –"

"Boys, boys, boys..." Andromeda stands from her seat and while her stature is so much smaller than Draco's, her voice is mighty and brokers no room for argument. Her hands rest on top of their shoulders and her thumbs dig into the flesh there. "Making presumptions as to how this is going to end will do you no good – either of you. Draco is right, you must explain yourselves but more than that, you need to give her a choice."

"She did have a choice." Harry exclaims and Draco finally realizes that he's not mad; he's close to tears. He's never witnessed this from Potter and it makes him uncomfortable. Draco tugs Harry's hand to his chest and curls their fingers together over his heart. "We might have only presented her with limited options, but –"

"It doesn't work that way," Draco whispers as his fingers slip around Harry's neck and his thumb strokes the sharp stubble on his jaw. "Aunt Andromeda is right, love. We expected her to fall into this with us because we crafted it that way. Don't you want to know if she'd choose it if we hadn't created the circumstances for her?"

Harry tilts his face into Draco's hand. "No."

Draco smiles. Fucking Boy Wonder and his petulance. He loves him for it, but Salazar Slytherin have mercy on him, Draco's more like Harry Potter than he'd ever care to admit. "Come on, Potter. That's not the right answer."