Work Text:
Learning about the muggle world wasn't something Draco Malfoy expected to do, ever. It was very hard to un-learn things that have been craved onto your skin since you were little, even harder than learning new things such as do the dishes or set a washing machine properly. Dating Harry was a wonderful experience of learning, re-learning and un-learning as he slowly stripped himself from all the prejudicing and all the wrong assumptions about muggles and muggle-borns.
And it had been rocky at first, of course it was, because no relationship was as perfect as the movies said. For Draco, it was like taking care of a plant, you need to water it, and give it air and sun to make sure it grows healthy and beautiful, careful not to neglect it, careful not to smother it. Draco thought his relationship with Harry worked in the same way. Pulling and pushing, learning and having patience, and throwing bridges between different worlds all the time, but it worked. And Draco was happy, a feeling sometimes still foreign to him.
So when Harry first told him if he wanted to come to the Pride parade with him, Draco wasn't sure what the other was talking about. His head tilted, eyes narrowing as he tried to understand what Pride parade exactly meant. A party? But what was the Pride part about? The Pride of being muggle? As supportive as Draco was, he wasn't sure he could attend something like that, even if he would, for Harry, so he just nodded with a smile, and Harry grinned in that way his smile curved up and his eyes started to shine, excitedly babbling about making plans and calling Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna and all the others.
Draco tended to understood things in the most logical of ways, he needed to understand the hows and the whys for fully comprehend something, so Draco first needed to drown into the knowledge of what Pride was, to start with. 'Ask Harry?', was the infuriatingly but completely logical response from Theo when Draco voiced his concern to his friends, who knew even less than him about the wonders of the muggle world. Blaise was as in love with muggle technology as Draco was, Pansy discovered tattoos and piercings and make-up, and Theo loved the muggle literature and music, but that was about it.
And as much as he hated to admit it, Theo was right, he could ask Harry about it, as he always did, and Harry would share with him all he knew about the subject, and Draco would feel like he could fall in love with him all over again when Harry's eyes shine with interest and happiness as Draco listened attentively, nodding in amazement and wonder. Sometimes they argued, sometimes they didn't fully agree with each other, but there was nothing that couldn't be fixed with a long talk and a shared cup of tea.
But Draco decided he could use muggle technology in his advantage first. He googled “Pride parade” and five minutes later he was overwhelmed with information about stonewall, and the LGBT community and civil rights. So it wasn't about the pride of being muggle, it was about the pride of being gay? That was the most interesting thing Draco had learned about after discovering the truth, scientific facts about the northern lights.
And the wizard world was different, but Draco never thought about such thing as a Pride day for that, ever. Maybe it was because of his blood-line, his house and his expectations. Draco had always had little interest in females, but at the same time, he had so clear which were his duties as the head of the Malfoy family. And he knew a lot of his acquaintances and friends thought the same. Theo had the luck of his father rooting away in Azkaban for sharing a life with Blaise, and not begin linked to any other pureblood girl he couldn't care less about. Pansy... had always lived life at her pace, with her own rules, and Draco had always admired her for that, anyway.
Gay was a word that never crossed Draco's mind, it wasn't part of his imaginary or his world, but he understood the premises of what having a day for it held against. That day, with his head clearer, Harry and him engaged in yet another night of long conversations and tea, discussing about what Draco had read, as he listened attentively at how Harry explained to him his revelations and his struggles about what it meant to him, what if felt to him to be part of something, the sense of community and understanding, the feeling of being proud .
A week later after their talk, Pride day came, and Draco had to admit that they were and interesting group. It was Pansy's idea to come along to 'show some moral support' but Draco was just sure she just wanted to be a part of it. Blaise and Theo seemed more indifferent about it, but Draco couldn't miss the fact Theo was clinging to Blaise's hand, wrapped in the feeling of lots of couples doing the same thing.
All of Harry's friends were there too, and Draco had never seen Luna Lovegood looking so bright and beautiful, with glittery rainbow flags all over the skin of her cheeks, her long hair adorned with braids and flowers, as she whispered something to Ginny's ear, making her giggle. Ronald Weasley seemed a little out of place wide eyed next to a cheerful Hermione, and Draco had to bite back a snort at the sight. Dean Thomas was carrying Seamus Finnigan on his back, while he chanted in the loudest voice, waving a small rainbow flag in his hand.
They were quite a varied and interesting group, but what caught Draco's attention, it was that, they weren't the only ones. All around him, people looked so happy, and undeniably, so proud . The energy was like nothing Draco had felt before, and it wasn't only the familiar and warm waves of Harry's strong magic surrounding him, it was the positive energy emanating from everyone. No matter where he looked, all he saw was couples unafraid of holding hands, bright colours, people dancing, people chanting, people holding banners with messages of protest or hope.
He was lost in the feeling of it, he had almost missed Harry looking at him with sparkles in his eyes. He was one of the victims of Lovegood's glitter, smudges of purple and pink and blue all over his right cheek. He looked so exultant and so beautiful, Draco was sure his heart skipped a beat at the sight.
“Happy Pride, Draco.” Harry whispered into his ear, grinning cheekily, almost with mischief, his curly hair falling on his eye as his arm circled tightly around Draco's waist.
And Draco grinned back, as if he had been infected by Harry's own energy and mischief. His own arms circled around Harry's neck, looking up at him with mist eyes he would deny he had and a pleased smile on his lips, nodding. “Happy Pride, Harry.”
They kissed, but besides the wolfwhistle that came from Pansy's mouth there was no more reaction, just the familiar and warm feeling of Harry's lips against his own, his hands tightening around his waist, his curls brushing against the skin of his cheekbone and his forehead. When the kiss ended, Draco blinked, reddened lips parted and Harry was smiling, a thumb stroking lovingly over the skin of his chin.
All was well, and he was proud.