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“No, don’t play with him,” an older girl with a cruel expression sneered. “He’s that weird boy. You know, the one who has a murderer for a parent.”
Harry’s fists clenched as he tried not to hate her. Sirius always said that it’s okay to be angry at someone, but when you hate them, you let them in.
“Sirius didn’t do anything wrong!” Harry argued, eyes going to the boy he had just met. His pretty brown hair catching in the wind.
When the boy stepped away from Harry and went with the girl, he felt tears form. He knew it was wrong, but he hated them. Hated people who talked bad about Sirius.
Harry ran towards the edge of the park and threw himself on the ground.
“What’s with you? You’ll get your clothes dirty, and it’s my turn for laundry. Wait until it’s Sirius’ turn.”
Harry scooted closer till he could rest his head on a warm knee.
“Moony, why are people rude?”
Remus sighed, the sound loud enough to worry Harry. He hadn’t wanted to upset him.
“That’s a hard question to answer. Sometimes people aren’t aware that they are being cruel, and other times they might not be ready to be nice. Or maybe they were always mean, and they won’t change.”
“Why?”
Remus shrugged before his fingers played with Harry’s hair.
“Because people are complicated. Not everyone you meet will be nice.”
“Why?”
“Because humans are flawed.”
When Harry opened his mouth, he saw Remus’ brows arched, and he knew that look, that was the look Remus usually gave Sirius when he didn’t want to talk anymore.
“Can we get ice cream? Banana Toast?”
“You don’t like that kind.”
“Sirius does.”
Remus’ hands stilled before he looked to where the other kids were playing.
“Alright, we can get Sirius some ice cream.”
Harry grinned before he rubbed his face on Remus’ knee. He liked Moony—Remus was always nice to him.
He just wished that people would be nice to Sirius too.
“Harry, you can’t keep getting into fights,” Sirius whispered as he applied a healing salve to Harry’s cheek.
“But Sirius, you didn’t hear what they said about you! It was mean!”
Sirius closed his eyes before he pulled Harry into his arms.
“I promise you I have heard worse things.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
Harry could feel Sirius’ laughter against the top of his head as Sirius’ arms tightened.
“Pup, I know you feel like you have to defend me, but they don’t matter. What they are saying doesn’t mean anything.”
“Yes it does!” Harry yelled as he pushed away from Sirius’ hold and angry tears welled up.
“Harry—”
“No! You don’t get it,” Harry cried. “It does matter. Because they don’t know how nice you are. You read me stories every night, you sing sometimes when I can’t fall asleep, you helped me win the pillow war against Remus, and you let me have ice cream before dinner when Moony isn’t around.”
“How about we keep that last one quiet,” Sirius whispered as he looked to the door.
“You let me look at photos of my mum and dad.” Harry looked to the ground as the tears fell. “And I know you miss them. I’m not them, but you love me too.”
“Oh, Harry.” Sirius kneeled in front of him. “Of course I love you. You are my little pup.”
“Don’t you see?” Harry asked. “Don’t you see why I have to fight? I have to let them know who you are.”
Sirius’ eyes closed as he shook his head.
“It’s enough that you know who I am. You and Moony are all I really need.”
That wasn’t enough. Sirius deserved for the whole world to see him as Harry did. He wanted to argue, but he could tell that Sirius was done talking about it.
People sucked.
“Look at his clothes.”
Harry knew they were talking about him, knew that it was just an excuse to be mean.
“What about them? He looks fine to me.”
The confusion in the voice had Harry’s head popping up as he looked at a group of kids his age playing exploding snap.
One, in particular, was staring at him. Harry had seen him before, but only briefly, he wasn’t in the same class as him. They only had one more year before they would go to Hogwarts.
“He’s Black’s heir,” someone whispered, but Harry’s eyes were still on the boy. He had blond hair that looked as soft as Sirius’ fur when he was a dog, and he had pretty silver eyes.
“Sirius Black?”
Harry looked down at his hands as he tried not to become angry. Would the boy judge him for that? They didn’t even know Sirius. Never bothered to look deeper.
“The murderer.”
“Alleged murderer.”
Harry inhaled sharply as he looked up.
“Besides,” the boy continued. “Sirius is my cousin.”
Harry blinked rapidly as he tried to remember if Sirius had mentioned any cousins. The only family Sirius ever talked about was his half-demon distant relatives. The pretty boy didn’t look like a demon.
The rest of the kids started whispering as the boy walked towards Harry.
“Hello, I’m Draco.”
A hand was shoved into Harry’s face, and he stared at it before looking up at Draco.
“I’m Harry,” he whispered, face heating up when a warm smile was sent his way.
Harry shook his hand, holding on longer than Sirius taught him.
“Can I play with you?” Draco asked as he sat down and gestured to the puzzle he was working on.
“Yeah,” Harry said, grateful for the chance to have a friend. “You can.”
Perhaps not everyone was mean.
“I made a friend today.”
Remus dropped his book, and Sirius gasped as he clutched a ladle to his chest.
“That’s great! We can—”
“Do you have proof?”
Harry and Remus glared at Sirius who lifted the ladle in surrender.
“He’s really nice,” Harry said when Sirius impatiently gestured for him to continue.
“You didn’t fight him, did you?”
Harry harrumphed. “I don’t fight everyone, Moony.”
“Yeah,” Sirius agreed. “He only fights the majority.”
Harry laughed when Remus sighed heavily.
“Tell us more about your friend,” Remus said as he picked up his book. “What’s his name? How did you meet him?”
“His name is Draco and I—”
The ladle fell from Sirius’ hands.
“Draco, as in Draco Malfoy? That Draco?”
Harry nodded, his brows merging and a frown forming.
“Moony,” Sirius whined.
“Oh, no. Don’t even start. You aren’t taking away his only friend.”
Taking?
“You know who his father is.”
“Yes, and I also know who your parents were. Had the misfortune of meeting them too.”
Sirius gasped. “That was low!”
Harry looked between them, unsure of whether a fight was happening or not.
“Sirius,” Remus sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look at Harry. He needs a friend. He’s a loner with no life.”
“Hey!” Harry cried as Sirius barked out a loud booming laugh.
“Alright, let’s meet your friend. It might be the only one you get.”
“I hate you both,” Harry grumbled as they both laughed and pulled him into a group hug.
“Harry, you can’t just punch your way out of every argument. It’s barbaric and horribly muggle.”
Harry peered up as Draco wiped the blood off his face where a cutting hex hit his cheek.
“You know I couldn’t let him say all that.”
“What was said about Sirius this time?” Draco asked with a sigh.
Harry bit his lip as he looked to his hands. “They were talking about you.”
Draco’s hands stilled.
“Your father, really. But they were judging you! I couldn’t let them.”
“Harry, you don’t have to defend me. Most of what they say about me is true.”
Harry shook his head rapidly as his hair moved with the movement.
“That’s a load of hogwash, and you know it,” he growled before pushing Draco back.
“Harry—”
“Sure, you don’t have the kind of humour most people like, or a sense of humour at all, really.” He grinned when Draco glared at him.
“Sometimes you say things that are mean to people, but you always apologize when you realize it hurt them. That’s not something everyone does. I would know, Draco.”
“But—”
“You are always there for me, even when I start fights with seventh years that I know I can’t win.”
“That’s because you are stupid—”
“You let me sleep in your bed when I start to miss Sirius and Remus.”
“Yeah but—”
Harry shook his head slowly.
“You help me be better, Draco.”
Draco’s cheeks were pink, and Harry wasn’t sure what to do with that.
“You don’t deserve to be talked about like that. They don’t even know you.”
“It’s alright,” Draco said, tone quiet. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me,” argued Harry. “You matter to me.”
Draco pulled Harry into a hug as he whispered, “You’re my best friend.”
Harry would always protect those he cared about, and that included Draco.
The sound of students yelling had Harry pushing people aside. It was hard to tell if it was positive or negative. Things had been hectic with the Triwizard Tournament going on.
“Think Smith has a shot?”
“No way, not with how good Malfoy is with a wand.”
Harry’s heart skipped a beat as he prodded people until they got out of his way.
Draco and Smith had their wands extended and they were glaring at each other.
“Oi! What’s going on?”
Smith sneered when he looked up.
“Looks like you can’t fight your own battles.”
“Harry, back away,” Draco ordered without looking away from Smith.
Harry wanted to protest, but he had been in the same situation before, only always on the reverse. He sighed before doing as Draco asked.
The fight was over as quickly as it began. Smith was all spells and no wand—something anyone could see as his magic caved quickly to Draco’s spells.
Smith broke the duel mid-fight to run away, and Draco turned to Harry with a smug grin.
“What was that about? You know you’re going to get detention, right?”
Draco shrugged as he walked closer to Harry and the crowd slowly dispersed.
“You should have heard the shit he was saying.”
“I’m surprised he was bold enough to trash talk you to your face.”
Draco shook his head. “He wasn’t making fun of me. He was saying stuff about Sirius.”
Harry froze before he blinked rapidly.
“He was talking about Sirius?”
Draco scowled, clearly still offended. “Real nasty stuff, too. The nerve of him. As if he even knows Sirius.”
Harry’s mind hadn’t properly computed the situation before he said, “I want to kiss you.”
“I—” Draco stopped to stare at Harry, eyes wide and face pinking up.
“Tell me I can kiss you?”
Draco nodded once before he cupped Harry’s cheeks.
The kiss wasn’t what Harry had expected. Their noses bumped, and Draco’s lips were far smoother than Harry’s own chapped lips, but it didn’t matter—not when he was kissing Draco.
“No one has ever stood up for Sirius but me,” Harry mumbled against Draco’s lips.
Draco laughed, the sound a little breathless. “That’s what this is about? Are you saying if I had defended him before, you would have kissed me sooner?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, eyes on Draco’s lips. “I do know that I want to kiss you again.”
Draco grinned, smile just as beautiful as the rest of him.
As their lips pressed together, Harry could hear movement, but he paid it no mind as Draco pulled him closer.
“Detention Mister Malfoy,” McGonagall’s voice rang out, jarring them apart. She eyed them sternly before she turned to Draco.
“You would do well not to pick up Mister Potter’s bad habit of fighting.”
Draco laughed as Harry gasped. There was a small smile on McGonagall’s face, and that was the only reason Harry didn’t say anything.
“I think she likes me,” he told Draco when she continued down the hall.
“Not as much as I do.”
Harry wished his cheeks hadn’t heated up as he turned to Draco.
“I don’t think anyone could like you as much as I do,” Draco continued, eyes on Harry’s face.
Harry knew that Draco told the truth, and it was something that went both ways.
“They are totally getting married.”
“Sirius, they are 16.”
“So? Look at them,” Sirius pointed to where Harry and Draco were sitting on the same chair as they read a muggle comic book.
“I’m seeing two teenagers who dress bad and have a horrible taste in comics. DC over Marvel? Come on.”
“Who cares what kind they read?” Sirius’ tone was exasperated. “I’m talking about their relationship.”
“What about it?”
“Well, doesn’t it remind you of us?”
Remus smiled softly. “Yes, but we didn’t get married.”
“We could.”
Remus narrowed his eyes. “Are you proposing for the sake of your argument?”
“Technically, yes—but—” Sirius said loudly when Remus threw his hands in the air. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to!”
When Remus stood up, Sirius yelled, “Come on Moony! Marry me!”
Harry and Draco looked at each other as the kitchen door closed.
“That was a horrible proposal,” Harry said as Draco nodded.
“What do you know?” Sirius grumbled as he folded his arms. “Getting married at 16 and being all young.”
Draco’s eyes widened. “We aren’t getting married. Are you taking the mickey out of me?”
When Sirius said nothing and followed Remus into the kitchen, Harry looked to Draco.
“I think he’s gone mental.”
“I think he was already mental.”
Harry arched a brow. “Are you baiting me? You know I always defend Sirius.”
Draco scrambled to get out of the chair, but Harry was quicker.
“No, I was joking. I didn’t—” Draco yelped as Harry’s fingers began tickling him.
“I was kidding! Harry!”
The sound of their laughter drew Remus and Sirius back into the room, heads barely through the door.
“Maybe you’re right,” Remus said softly.
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
Remus rolled his eyes before smiling when Draco let out a loud laugh.
“Does your silence mean yes? I’m assuming it does.”
“Moony?”
“Moony!”
Bonus Scene
“I can’t believe it’s actually happening,” Harry whispered as the ceremony began and the audience quieted down.
“It was bound to happen eventually,” Draco added, grin on his face as he looked at everyone. “Moony couldn’t say no for that long.”
Harry cried before Remus and Sirius had even walked down the garden path. “They’ve always been my parents—at least in the ways that count.”
Draco entwined their fingers together before placing their hands in his lap.
When Remus and Sirius walked in, and the knot tying began, Draco had started to cry too.
“You think that will be us one day?” Harry asked, eyes taking in the happiness on Remus and Sirius’ faces.
“Merlin no, I wouldn’t look good in all silver. I’m too pale.”
Harry rolled his eyes and wondered if it would have been better to have found a different friend all those years ago.
“I don’t know if I want to get married,” Draco continued. “But I know I do want to stay with you.”
Harry laid his head on Draco’s shoulder as he watched the two most important people in his life tie themselves to each other.
“Even if I never stop fighting?”
“Especially because you’ll never stop fighting. It’s just who you are.”
Some things in life were worth fighting for. Harry’s family and friends would always be the most important thing to him.
And that included Draco. It always would.