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"Draco..." Mother's worried voice carried over the consistent sound of the rain against the windows of his study. She hadn't heard him coming, he made sure of that. But Jimma, that treatourious creature must have ignored his order. She always had been a feisty one, since his childhood she hadn't taken any of his entitled shit and she still had a firm, but gentle grip on his heart. He shook his head fondly. He could imagine her, standing in the kitchen wringing her hands, completing if she should wake Mother or not. In the end she cared too much about him to let him sit and suffer alone again. Draco promised himself to buy her a new knitting kit. She deserved it.
"Good evening, Mother," Draco greeted her quietly. He didn't ask her what brought her here, because he wanted to postpone that particular conversation for as much as she would allow him. Not too long, knowing Mother, but maybe she would let him stew in his self pity until morning and then knock sense into him.
"Oh, darling," was all she said and she floated in her nightgown over the heavy carpet like a fairy, bewitching their new prey. Narcissa was still enticing, still beautiful in her age and Draco looked at her, trying to burn this picture of her in his mind. She would always be beautiful to him, but he wanted to capture her loveliness in a painting. Something be could hold on to whenever she was too far away to console him.
Her hands were cool and soft on his cheeks and he buried his face in them. He didn't allow himself to sob, but a few silent tears escaped. She made no move to whisk them away.
"Darling," she whispered softly, tipping his head to look into his eyes, "I know."
And Draco wasn't even surprised. She always knew. She knew whenever he was hurting or embarrassed, when he was angry or sad. She always just knew.
"I'm right by your side, darling," she said and this time, Draco couldn't contain an ugly snort. Harry had promised that again and again, holding onto him tightly, never letting go, "I'll never leave you, you'll never be alone again".
Harry was a liar.
Funny how Harry's friends had watched their growing relationship over the last years with distrust and suspicion, waiting for the other shoe to drop. They expected him to hurt Harry somehow, to betray him in the most horrible way possible, but well... Look at them now.
Draco was the one being broken, he was the one left behind.
"I told him, I would always choose him. I choose him in the past, I choose him in the present and I would have chosen him in the future as well. I prepared to share my life with him, Mother, I so desperately wanted him by my side...." Draco mumbled into her hands and she just watched him with silent compassion and understanding.
"Why couldn't he choose me? Why marry someone you don't even love for the expectations of a family that's not even yours?" Draco spit out and her grip on him tightened.
"You know better, darling. They stood by his side in the most difficult times. You owe them respect for that," she said, staring at him, daring to deny it. But Draco was too tired and upset to yield to her now.
"They basically force him to marry their youngest, guilt tripping him; that he won't be real family until he does. Those people can call themselves his family for all I care, but I don't owe them anything, least respect," Draco hissed and freed himself out of his Mother's hands. She let him go and watched him pace.
"And you know Harry's nobleness. He just wants to belong, wants a place to call his own, people to claim as his. They dangle it in front of him, like he's a stupid fish and he wants it so badly, Mother. He cried to me and begged me to forgive him, because he doesn't want to lose them."
"They are everything I have left," Harry had said tonight while he packed his things. Draco could only stare at his back disbelievingly.
"What about me?" he had asked dumbly and he didn't even know, what he had expected. For Harry to stop packing, take him into his arms and whisper 'I love you'?
But Harry just turned and he looked very sad. "You mean so much to me, Draco."
"But not enough to fight for us," Draco said calmly and Harry flinched.
"No, th-that's not it, Draco, believe me," Harry begged.
"You're leaving me, Harry. For some assholes dictating your life again. You're choosing them over me, over your boyfriend of two bloody years, Harry! For a woman, I might add, a woman you don't love, a woman, who will do nothing for you, because you're a gay man. Who's supposed to be on love with me."
Harry recoiled as if he had been slapped. "What do you mean, supposed?!"
"You may love me, Harry. But you don't love me enough," Draco said and did nothing to stop the tears from falling, "because you leave me for some fairytale, that will come back to bite you in the arse. But you can't come crawling back when it does, Potter. You'll be all alone with your regret."
Harry just watched him helplessly. What was he supposed to do? Molly had been insistent. Arthur had dropped meaningful looks now and then, hinting at marriage and children. Ron and Hermione watched from the sidelines, not protesting, but also not supporting him either. The Weasley never really approved of Draco, but their silence had been enough for him. But Molly and Arthur were getting older; they wanted more grandchildren. Harry felt the responsibility to at least try to fulfill that wish.
Even if it would cost him Draco.
"Don't let the door hit you on your way out. I'll block you in the wards, so take everything today. I don't want to see you again," Draco had hissed and stormed out. He apparated straight to the Manor and hid in his study.
That's how Mother found him.
"So now you know, Mother. You can tell me 'I told you so', I won't be offended. I'm actually surprised it took so long," Draco huffed and let himself fall into his armchair. He never felt so defeated in his life. Like something escaped his grasp, something he should have hold onto tighter. Mother hadn't said anything yet, just watched him rant and listened and now she floated back to his side to hug him.
"Oh my darling, this is not your fault," she assured softly. But she didn't know what she was talking about. Draco must have been inadequate in some points for Potter to drop him like a hot potato. He must have failed to love Potter right. He didn't dare to think he could replace Potter's family, of course not, but he thought he had a similar position in Harry's heart. Obviously not.
And he told Mother so.
"Draco," she signed, "Harry made a mistake tonight. He will hurt a lot of people because of it, mostly himself. He didn't know any better and chose to do what he thought best. You can't begrudge him that."
"But he won't be happy," Draco sobbed, "I won't be happy."
"No, I imagine he won't be. But you will," she squeezed his shoulder, "because you noticed the insanity and tried to stop it. You have done nothing you will regret later. You gave him a chance, you chose him and you loved him enough, Draco. You have done nothing wrong."
Draco couldn't believe her. But he wanted too.
"And I'm here, darling. Right by your side through all of it," she promised and Draco leaned against her, allowing himself to find comfort in her embrace. He wondered when his heart would stop hurting and if Harry's heart hurt too.
Before they found happiness in each other. But now they were all alone.