InsaneJournal

Ficlet: Clarity by Firelight (Harry/Draco)
Title: Clarity by Firelight
Author: rickey_a
Rating: PG-slash
Warnings: None
Word count: ~650
Notes: Gift ficlet for felaine who requested a continuation of After Eden. And a hearty thank you to sesheta_66 for the speedy beta!


It was a cold November night, but it was warm in Harry's flat. The fire blazed casting a bright flickering glow across the hearth. Above the mantle, Hogwarts was pictured in peaceful repose under a dusting of snow, while a half moon shone brightly in a sky speckled with hundreds of stars.

Grabbing his wand from the coffee table, Harry Summoned the wine from the kitchen and then levitated it softly to the table. His use of his left hand had improved greatly, but it still wasn't instinctive and he wasn't nearly as fast as he had been with his right hand before the accident.

He poured himself another half a glass of the light and fruity Sauvignon Blanc. "Would you like any more."

"No thank you. I'm good," Draco replied, distracted.

Harry snuggled under a soft quilt, a housewarming gift from Molly Weasley, and leaned against Draco's legs. Draco had his feet up on the sofa, and the latest Potter Foundation financial report leaning against his lap.

Harry had no interest in the financials, so he was more than happy to hand that part of the oversight to Draco. He was also more than content to stare at the castle and watch lights in the windows go out one by one for the night, as he relaxed to the soothing sounds of the fire spitting and crackling.

"It's getting late. Want to call it a night?" suggested Harry after he had finished his wine.

"In a few minutes," Draco muttered, seemingly still engrossed in the long columns of numbers.

It came to him suddenly: a simple feeling of understanding what it was that he wanted, and the sheer joy of knowing that it was his for the taking. Happiness and contentment were mere words to him before this past year. They weren't things he considered within his reach or even an entitlement. He truly never believed that he deserved them. In the quiet moment of companionship and warmth, he realized that he wished to make their relationship permanent. Well, as permanent as anything in life is.

They had sorted the heavy baggage of their past and forged a strong relationship. They had managed to find common ground, if not acceptance, of each other's friends, even Draco's family. They had weathered the flurry of print articles that painted Draco as an opportunist preying on the injured Harry Potter, and the early dismissal of the Potter Foundation as some sort of lark to improve Draco's reputation. They had navigated all these roadblocks and more, and here they were, still together, over a year later.

"Hogwarts looks so beautiful tonight. I remember whenever it was covered in snow, it was so peaceful. It became otherworldly like some sort of fairy tale kingdom."

"Feeling nostalgic?" Draco asked, still only half present in the conversation.

"Maybe."

Harry turned around and ran his hand up Draco's bare calf.

"Now I'm really not going to get this done."

"Complaining?"

Draco tossed the long roll of parchment onto the coffee table. "No."

Harry leaned over and softly kissed Draco's lips. "Stay?"

"I was planning to."

"No, I mean…stay." Harry stared insistently into Draco's eyes and hoped that he would catch his meaning.

"What are you saying, Harry?" asked Draco. He looked confused, which was not what Harry had wanted, not at all.

"I'm saying that I would like you to stay for always. I'm asking you to move in."

Draco froze for a moment then drew a deep breath in through his nose and blew it out slowly. "I… I don't know what to say."

"Say yes," Harry urged, silently praying that Draco wouldn't try to debate the hundred and one reasons why they shouldn't.

To his relief, he didn't. He simply stood, reached out for Harry's hand, and led him to the bedroom. "Come, I want to negotiate my terms."

"I always cave in negotiations."

"I know, Harry. I know."