At the end of all things - 2/2
Mar. 12th, 2011 08:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
herumtreiberAuthor:
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herumtreiber Pairings: Harry/Draco
Genre: AU, Slash, romance, adventure
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or related characters. Nor do I make any money from the writing of these stories.
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Graphic sex, angst, fluff, AU, established relationship
Epilogue compliant? No
Chapter length: 2577 words
Beta:
kestrelsparhawk Summary: While the Order fights the Death Eaters, Dumbledore sends Harry and Draco on a quest to find the Horcruxes. A journey that takes them to the end of all things.
Notes: Written for the
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hd_seasons prompt: "I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam" from the Lord of the Rings, on March 25. Thanks to the wonderful
kestrelsparhawk for the feedback and beta work. I added some parts later, so any errors are solely mine. At the end of all things - part 1
In the meadows near Erdington, they paused in the quest after the elusive Horcruxes.
Harry lay down on the grass, his gaze directed upwards. “Will we ever be free, Sam?”
Draco rolled his eyes, since their lustful interlude, Harry sometimes called him that.
“That isn’t my name!”
“That song from Casablanca? The film has a character named Sam. That reminded me of this teacher I had in school.”
“He was called Sam?” Draco drawled, pausing for a moment in his task of strengthening the wards Harry had cast earlier.
Harry smiled, Draco could be so predictable sometimes. He continued in a softer voice, “Not exactly, she was my literature teacher. She was in love with the Lord of the Rings.”
“And that is?” said Draco tentatively. He was about to add something sarcastic, but Harry’s tone held him back.
“Books about a magical world. Didn’t read them myself. Living with the Dursleys, Merlin knew I couldn’t ask them to buy the books, and Dudley read nothing like that.”
Draco sat on the grass next to Harry. “Magic like we have?”
“Not exactly. I’ve forgotten some parts, but Ms Livingstone, my teacher... She loved the Hobbits Frodo and Samwise.”
Draco puffed up his chest. “So you think I’m wise?”
He scowled at Harry’s silhouette when he heard the Gryffindor’s snickers. “Not exactly.”
Harry crossed his arms behind his neck, staring at the visible stars. He treasured moments like these, when some offhand comment of Draco’s made him forget for a moment the horrible war. He suspected Draco knew more than he let on and played the fool just so Harry could laugh.
“Sam and Frodo went on a long quest while their friends fought their harsh enemies,” continued Harry.
Draco put his wand in the pocket of his coat and lay down next to Harry, turning his head so he could gaze at the Gryffindor bathed by the light of the moon. The blond loved to hear Harry talk about his life before Hogwarts. He treasured these small revelations, imagining a small dark-haired boy listening intently to his teacher, green eyes sparkling as he soaked up the tale like a new spell.
Harry lifted his hand, opening his palm as if he wanted to catch the crescent moon. “Their journey was hard, but they were the best of friends. And they made it to the end, together.”
Harry sighed wistfully. “The film is coming soon. I wonder if I’ll live to see it.”
Draco felt a fierce protectiveness swell up on his chest. He’d do everything he could so Harry would live beyond the battle, beyond the war. “We’ll see it together, Harry. I promise you that.”
Harry turned to face Draco, and the blond could see the small crescent of the moon reflected on his lover’s glasses. “Beneath your Slytherin guile you’re loyal to those you love, just like Sam.”
Harry’s words reminded Draco of his family. “I want the fight to end, I want to see my parents again.”
He reached for Harry, vainly trying to smooth the Gryffindor’s hair ruffled by the strong winds. “After the war is over, what will you do?”
“Don’t know, might enter Auror training. Merlin knows I worked my arse off so I could pass potions!”
Harry batted away Draco’s hand. “And you?”
“Live off my parents or you…”
Harry elbowed Draco’s ribs. “Come on! What do you seriously want to do after we finally vanquish Vol…?”
Before Harry could finish, Draco covered his mouth. “Don’t say his name! It’s bad luck, especially considering he has most of Britain under his control!”
Even if Draco could not see Harry, he envisioned the Gryffindor glare directed at him. The brunet shook off Draco’s hand.
Harry stood up, taking out his wand and lighting the fire with a fluid motion.
The blond stared at the face of his lover, his gaze dwelling on the reflection of the fire on his glasses. “To answer your question, I want to research potions.”
He stood up and joined his lover in front of the warming fire, twining his fingers with Harry’s. “If you finish off the Dark Lord in time for my birthday, I might have a chance to enrol at college.”
Harry snorted. “We didn’t finish Hogwarts!”
“Malfoy contacts, need I say more?”
“Don’t think I’ll do it just when it suits your needs, Draco.” Harry crouched next to the fire, wondering what Ron and Hermione were doing right now. His next rendezvous with an Order member seemed far away, he needed to know if his friends were doing all right.
“Besides, there are the Horcruxes to consider.” Harry added, touching the locket that was on his chest. Seemingly on the spur of the moment, he took off the cursed jewel, handing it to Draco.
“It’s your turn to guard this.”
“Don’t know if I can do it, Harry.”
Harry looked intently at his lover’s blond locks softly lit by the firelight. He said in a whisper barely audible above the sounds of the wind and the rustling trees. “I trust you, Draco. You’re more than what you give yourself credit for.”
The emotion evident in Harry’s voice caused Draco to shudder. “You really believe that?”
“I do. Ever since Dumbledore sent us on this journey, I’ve seen a part of you I didn’t know.”
Harry leaned towards Draco, laying his cheek on Draco’s. The blond relished the scratchy feel of Harry’s stubble whilst the brunet murmured, “We’ll survive this. And you - I trust you with my life.”
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The distant sounds of dogs barking in the night brought Draco back to the present. Despite the whispering voice seducing him with thoughts of power, the recollection of Harry’s voice had the might of the Gryffindor’s trust behind it - a powerful force indeed.
Draco returned to the bed and sat down. Grimacing in disgust, he took off the Slytherin locket and threw it upon the tattered duvet. He wrapped his coat around him, shivering in the cold night as he waited for his lover.
He didn’t have to wait long. Harry opened the door with a bang.
“Guess what? Dumbledore’s army will face the Death Eaters!”
“When?”
“Three days before the new moon. On March 25th.”
“The werewolves still giving trouble, huh?”
Harry hugged Draco. “Hagrid got the giants to join us! Even better, Neville killed Nagini! There’s only one Horcrux left!”
Harry gazed at the blond’s neck, devoid of ornaments. He cocked an eyebrow at Draco as he sat down on the bed. The blond motioned to the duvet.
Harry sighed with relief, and then his buoyancy suddenly ended. “Tonks told me many people died though. We should’ve been there, fighting!”
Draco grabbed Harry’s shoulders. “You know I don’t buy Dumbledore’s plan. But perhaps he is right. It won’t matter how many Death Eaters you or I fight, if the Dark Lord can return from the dead!”
Harry scooted away from Draco. “So you are suddenly a fan of Dumbledore?”
“Not really, but the old man is wise. The Dark Lord is busy fighting the Order while you and I hunt the Horcruxes.”
“And Mione...”
Draco huffed. “I must admit that she and Weasley are doing their part too. Those dratted things are hard to find. But we are getting there, and when we finish with them, the Dark Lord will be mortal again.”
Draco shuddered. He didn’t really want to know the answer to this question, not when they had so many friends and family to lose. “Who died? Anyone I know?”
“Colin Creevey - and Crabbe.”
Draco buried his face in his hands as he wept for the friend he was unable to save from the Dark Lord’s clutches.
Harry awkwardly patted his shoulder and then he lifted his lover’s face, tenderly wiping off Draco’s tears with the pad of his thumb.
HDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDDH
Draco cradled Harry’s body on his arms as he walked out of the rubble of Voldemort’s redoubt.
His tears fell on Harry’s smudged face as he mumbled, “Why didn’t you duck when the Dark Lord cursed you?”
Draco nearly stumbled on a jagged blackened stone, heaving Harry’s body upwards to protect him from the possible fall.
He wearily trod on the verdant grass, unmindful of the luxuriant day. To him, it didn’t matter if Voldemort was finally dead and the world free. The flowers, the birds chirping, all the signs of renewed growth were as ashes upon his tongue, for he no longer had Harry.
The Slytherin staggered towards a nearby tree and gently laid Harry on the grass. He crouched over Harry, brushing aside a lock of his sweaty, grimy hair - noting that the curse scar appeared washed out.
“Harry, don’t!”
“Please don’t leave me!” Draco sobbed brokenly, the thought of losing his lover - his best friend - was more than he could bear.
And then Harry whispered, “I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.”
“Yes, I am with you, Harry,” said Draco. “And you’re with me. And the journey’s finished.”
Draco stood up nervously and took a tentative step towards the small town, unsure what to do. Knowing that time was precious and he had to take care of Harry, he hastily took his wand out of his torn robes and sent a message to the Order.
Draco desperately tried to recall any healing charms that might help Harry, but he had scant knowledge in this area.
He conjured a blanket and covered Harry’s shivering body. He was so distraught he didn’t hear someone Apparating right next to him, until a woman’s voice startled him.
“What happened?” Hermione crouched next to Harry, rapidly casting healing spells of her own devising.
“The Dark Lord cursed him! Harry insisted it was the only way, he revived though. After he faced the Dar… “
Draco stopped for a moment, realising he could utter the dreadful name of the Dark Lord at last. “Voldemort cursed him before he died, I hope for the last time.”
Hermione held her wand over Harry and moved it sideways over his forehead. When nothing happened, she nodded. “Voldemort is finally gone.”
Hermione patted Draco’s shoulder. “Harry’s going to be ok.” Then she used her otter Patronus to send a message to Dumbledore.
Afterwards Hermione turned to Draco, frowning when she noticed his bloody face. “You could use a stay in St. Mungo’s too.”
The brunette stood up and brushed her scorched robe. “I wonder where Ron is.” She frowned at the birch tree. “Probably celebrating with the twins.”
Draco felt quite relieved hearing that Harry would recover. Breathing deeply the scent of the flowers nearby, the fact that the dreaded Voldemort was gone for good energised him. He looked at the witch he’d grown to trust implicitly and drawled, “Granger, and the battle?”
Hermione brushed aside a burned curl of her hair. “The Death Eaters were routed.”
She sat on the grass next to her friend and caressed Harry’s face as she spoke. “The Inferi and vampires almost overwhelmed us! The battle lasted for hours. Giants and centaurs proved crucial until….”
“That can wait until later, Miss Granger.” Dumbledore walked towards Harry, a tired expression on his careworn face.
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Harry opened his eyes and looked at a brightly coloured room. He tried to sit up, but he was too weak. He rasped, “Draco?”
“Here’s looking at you, kid,” drawled Draco, brushing aside a strand of Harry’s tousled hair.
Harry smiled wickedly. “So Mione made you watch Casablanca?”
“Three times.”
The blond took a glass of water and gave it to his lover, scowling when the stubborn Gryffindor pushed aside the straw and drank the water.
Harry looked up at Draco, arching an eyebrow inquiringly.
The blond shrugged. “I told Granger about our adventures.”
Noting Harry’s alarmed face, Draco held up his hands. “Not the naughty parts, of course.”
Draco sat on the chair, the hints of a smirk tugging his lips upward. “Light hurting you?”
“No. I suppose we won, since I’m not in a Death Eater dungeon or dead.”
“We did, Harry. Granger tells me things were evenly balanced till the very end.”
Draco shook his head. “I admit I hated Dumbledore’s plan. Leaving us to wander alone, hunting for the Horcruxes. Letting you face Voldemort without the Order.”
When Harry handed him the glass, Draco put it on the table next to the bed.
“But Granger and...” Draco stopped when Harry glared at him.
“You could use their first names, Draco. Wouldn’t kill you!"
The blond nodded patiently. “As I was saying. Hermione and Weasley destroyed the other Horcrux. So when you finally confronted Voldemort, he was mortal again.”
Harry yawned. The hot temperature in the infirmary made him drowsy.
“And during the battle, Voldemort had to come to the Midlands to face you,” continued Draco.
Noticing Harry sweating, Draco swiped his forehead until the Gryffindor swatted his hand. “I’m perfectly capable, Sam.”
“Whatever you say, Frodo. And for your information, my feet are not as big as a Hobbit’s!”
When Harry lifted his eyebrow inquiringly, Draco drawled, “I read the books one summer when father was away on business. I’m not completely clueless, you know!”
Harry snorted. “Why didn’t you tell me? A Slytherin plan?”
Draco smiled irreverently. “Perhaps...”
The blond propped up Harry’s pillows whilst the brunet glared at him.
“And the battle?”
Draco reclined on his chair, crossing his hands behind his neck. “When the battle hung on the balance - after the giants killed many Dark creatures - most of the Death Eaters were ready to destroy the Order. But they couldn’t do it without Voldemort, so Bellatrix opened some kind of portal for him.”
Harry reached for Draco and the blond leaned towards him, holding his hand
“It was that close?”
Draco rubbed his fingers against Harry’s wrist. “Weasley told me a vortex appeared. Voldemort was about to step through to join the battle when he suddenly vanished.”
Harry nodded, intertwining his fingers with Draco’s. “I reckon that was when we faced off for the last time. He was very surprised to see me alive after he supposedly killed me.”
“Without Voldemort’s power, the Death Eaters lost the battle. It was a question of timing.” Draco paused for a second, admiring the symmetry of the fight. “Dumbledore had a masterful plan, having us searching for the Horcruxes separatedly.”
The blond rubbed his right thumb against Harry’s forehead. “Nothing hurting?"
“Not at all.”
Draco conjured a butterbeer. He shook his head when Harry looked sharply at the glass. “You can’t drink this, I’m afraid. Healer’s orders.”
Pretending he didn’t notice Harry’s ferocious scowl, Draco asked, “So what’s next for us?”
Harry looked at the window, magicked to show a verdant meadow on the outskirts of Birmingham. “I reckon we’ll return to Hogwarts for our final year.”
Harry mouthed a word and the butterbeer glass flew to his hands. Ignoring Draco’s surprised yelp, he noisily slurped the refreshing beverage.
Draco smiled with satisfaction, noting Harry’s rosy cheeks. “Paraphrasing Bilbo Baggins: there will always be a Potter-"
“And a Malfoy,” added Harry between sips.
“-At Hogwarts.”
Draco leaned towards Harry, pushing aside the butterbeer glass. The once and future Hogwarts students kissed sweetly, serenaded by the chirping sounds of the birds outside the magicked window.
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Song: ‘As time goes by’ by Herman Hupfeld
Quotes from JRR Tolkien’s The Return of the King: “The Field of Cormallen,” p 228.
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Date: 2011-03-13 01:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-13 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 05:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:12 pm (UTC)re: At the end of all things
Date: 2011-03-14 07:11 am (UTC)Re: At the end of all things
Date: 2011-03-14 02:16 pm (UTC)Middlebrough and the Midlands are covert references to Middle Earth - and Tolkien lived in Birmingham for a time.
It was a pleasure to write your prompt! :)
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Date: 2011-03-15 06:03 pm (UTC)I love this! I can easily image what's in Draco's eyes. You made it so beautiful! :)
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Date: 2011-03-15 06:53 pm (UTC)I'm glad you liked it :)
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Date: 2011-03-18 02:49 pm (UTC)...it doesnt hurt that i love lotr too. haha.
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Date: 2011-03-18 03:10 pm (UTC)lotr is great :)
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Date: 2011-03-30 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 12:12 am (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Draco tries to gain the upper hand, even in reading :)