It wasn't that Harry went looking for trouble.
He didn't. Harry had just gone out for a drink and then that antsy, restless feeling in his gut had him out walking. Sucking in the evening air, inhaling the scent of spilled beer and cigarettes, as he strode down the street past the bars, trying to ignore the people staring at him.
No, he hadn't been looking for trouble, but it found him just the same.
A muted shout of pain caught his attention, ears prickling and hairs on his arms raising. Before he could even think, his feet were turning down an alley, leading him toward the noise.
Heart-thudding, adrenaline pumping, he approached the group of men crowded around a body laying on the ground coughing and gagging. An awareness prickled the back of his consciousness, and without physically seeing him, images of white-blond hair and silver eyes, flashed to the forefront of his mind. "Evening, gentlemen," he said, clearing his throat.
The group shifting to look at him was enough for Harry to catch a glimpse of Draco Malfoy, sprawled on the ground, knees drawn protectively up to his chest as he coughed.
And something inside of Harry snapped, something feral, something vaguely terrifying, even to him. "Move away," he growled.
The man in front crossed his arms over his chest, "and if we don't?" he asked. He grinned, perfect, white teeth on display. "Who cares about this worthless piece of sh-"
"I'd be very careful with my next words if I were you," Harry said, and he could feel his magic hot and bright all but bursting under his skin.
A couple of the men shifted on their feet, glancing around toward the end of the alley. But the man who'd spoken first didn't back down. "What're you going to do?"
"Fuck off, Potter," Malfoy groaned from the ground.
He grinned down at the other man, mouth too full of his teeth, "what, and miss out on the fun?"
"What fun?" the man said, raising his wand at Harry.
Harry looked up at him and watched the blood drain from his face as their eyes met.
He took a staggering step back and almost tripped over Draco, "What are you?" he managed.
"Haven't you read the papers?" Harry asked, sauntering forward. "There's always some new speculation," he added as he looked down at his fingers, watching the talons sprouting from them and resisting the impulse to wince.
He looked up in time to see the men tripping and stumbling, shoving one another as they attempted to leave. He started toward them, grunting as his wings sprouted and ripped through his jacket. With hardly a thought, his wings lifted him into the air and he landed on the other side of the group of men, blocking their exit.
"Not so fast," he said, teeth gnashing together with his words. "You were happy to take him on, four to one," he said, nodding toward Draco. "Happy to fight a man you know can't raise his wand against you to do magic. Here," he added, tossing his wand to the ground, "I'll go without mine too."
"What the fuck," one of the men whispered as he took in the sight of Harry with his black eyes and wings, his talons, his sharp teeth.
"I'll even let you fire first," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Hit me with all that you've got."
One man fired off a stunner and Harry reached out a hand and caught the spell, a bright, red ball of magic that he tossed in the air and caught again.
"Come on," he said, tossing it up and watching as it dissipated into the night sky. "Really try a coordinated effort," he added with a tsk. "Maybe on the count of three?"
All four men raised their wands and a laugh bubbled at the back of Harry's throat at their idiocy, at their predictability. Four spells fired off at once and Harry took a breath, letting time slow down around him as he reached out and plucked the four bursts of light and energy out of the air and held them in his hands. A heartbeat later, he threw the magic down at their feet and the four men stumbled and fell as the ground shook.
The first man to get to his feet started to run, the first intelligent thing any of them had done that evening, in Harry's humble opinion.
Harry held up a hand and the man was frozen in place.
"Let go," he said, begged really, and the other men started to shift restlessly, trying to edge away from him.
"Did he ask you to let him go?" Harry asked, pointing to Draco who was now sitting up and rubbing his rib cage. "Did he ask you to leave him alone?"
"Come on man," the third man said, holding out his hands, "He's a filthy, slimy death-"
"That's enough," Harry said calmly, sealing the man's mouth shut with a wave of his hand. As if by mutual agreement, they decided to leave their frozen friend behind and make a break for it. They started to run and Harry raised his hands and froze them all. "Not so tough anymore, are you?" he said, running a claw over the leader's jaw, angling it so it pricked him and a drop of blood appeared.
He turned when he felt a gentle hand on his wings and looked at Draco. Draco with his black eyes and bruises on his cheek, with blood on his neck, and internal bleeding if Harry's suspicions were correct. A low noise that certainly wasn't human rose in Harry's throat.
"Potter," he murmured. "Don't."
"Why?" he asked, tilting his head at him, turning to look at the men who were frozen in place.
"It's not worth it," he said. When he didn't immediately turn away, Draco slid his hand down his arm and took his hand, "Harry," he said softly.
And he could hear the pain in his voice, could hear the way that he'd just given up. His chest felt too small to contain the fire that burned under his breastbone at what had been taken from the other man. "I'll destroy them," he hissed.
"Harry," Draco repeated, "It's not worth it."
"You're worth it to me," he said, voice hard.
He sighed and shook his head, "Come on. Let them go."
"Confundo," he spit before releasing the men, they staggered, tripping over their own feet and one another as they tried to flee. "Don't ever let me see you with him again," he called after them. "Remember which of us it was who spared your lives."
"So dramatic," Draco said, staggering in the opposite direction.
He summoned his wand to him as he caught up and reached for Draco, "Where are you going?"
"No," Harry said sharply, taking Draco's hand, carefully retracting his claws so he didn't hurt him. "Come home," he begged. "Let me heal you-"
"We've been through this," Draco said, shaking his head.
"Yes, yes," Harry said, trotting along beside Draco, helping him balance as he staggered. His teeth shrunk back to their normal size and he continued to speak, "You put me at greater risk, I'm going to get caught, the Ministry is going to lock me up-"
"It's not a fucking joke," he spat. "Every single time we're out in public, you end up trying to kill someone for laying their hands on me!"
"Maybe people should stop hurting you," he said casually as he retracted his wings.
"This isn't a fucking joke!" he repeated. "I'm not worth-"
"You're my mate," Harry growled, "Anyone who hurts you should-"
"I'm not worth your life," he said. "Can't you-" he broke off to gasp, doubling over and clutching his rib cage.
"Let me take you home," he begged again. "Let me heal you and we can talk."
"Yes, fine," he snapped and Harry knew that he must be in quite a bit of pain if he was conceding.
He didn't wait for him to change his mind, he wrapped his arm around Draco's waist and apparated them back home. With a quick snap of his fingers, Draco's filthy, bloody clothes had disappeared and Harry lifted him into his arms, carrying him into the bathroom.
"I can walk," he grunted, resentment bubbling in each word, but his arms still clung to Harry weakly.
"I know," he murmured before setting him gingerly on the toilet seat and starting the bath.
In the harsh light of the bathroom, he could see the bruises mottling Draco's body and a noise of discontent rattled around in his chest and throat.
"Let me?" he asked, holding out his hands, already glowing a warm gold.
Draco nodded and Harry slowly, tenderly began touching the bruises, healing the wounds, absorbing the pain into his own body and letting it fade to nothing. When he was satisfied that he'd healed all of him, he stood and pulled off his own clothes before taking Draco's hand.
With a defeated little sigh, Draco let Harry tug him into the bath. Harry sat with his back against the tub and pulled Draco into the cradle of his body, pressing Draco's back against his chest and bracketing Draco's hips with his thighs. He wrapped him in his arms and pressed a soft kiss to the other man's neck.
"I'm ruining your life," Draco murmured, voice soft and sleepy, and Harry could feel the echo of Draco's exhaustion in his own chest.
"Tell me that you don't love me too," Harry whispered back. "Tell me that it's unrequited, that I'm burdening you, that you don't want me."
Draco rested his head against Harry's shoulder, his soft, blonde hair tickling Harry's chin. "I can't," he said. "You know I can't say that. But I love you enough to want what is good for you-"
"Then stay," he pleaded. "Draco, I'm out of my mind without you. I'm antsy and anxious, and I can feel it when something bad is about to happen to you. You're my mate," he repeated, voice breaking at the end. "I love you," he whispered, tears springing to his eyes.
"We can't keep doing this, though. You're going to get caught and my life isn't worth yours, there are only so many rumors that the papers can publish before the Ministry-"
"Then let's leave," Harry said.
He shook his head and pressed a kiss to Draco's neck, "No, think about it. If the only way for me to be with you is for you to stop being attacked so that I'll stop attacking people in return is to leave then let’s just do it. We can see our friends in muggle places or visit their homes, but let's just live in the muggle world."
"I can't let you give up-"
"Give up what?" Harry asked in exasperation. "Draco, everything here is awful, the politics and the games people play, the prejudices. And it isn't like I can even go anywhere without being constantly hounded by reporters. I'm not giving up anything."
Gingerly, the other man turned around, kneeling between Harry’s thighs and taking his face in his hands.
“Please, Draco,” Harry murmured, staring into his eyes, searching them for what was to come. “I love you.”
Draco pressed their foreheads together, “what if you change your mind?”
“I won’t,” he promised. “You’re it for me.”
There was a long pause and Harry was certain that Draco must be able to hear the way his heart was hammering in his chest. “Where will we go?”
Light and warmth exploded through Harry’s chest and he leaned up to kiss him tenderly. “I’m glad you asked,” he said, holding out a hand for a file folder that he kept by his bedside. “I’ve got a whole list of places I’ve been wanting to see with you. You’re gonna love it,” he added softly.
Draco slid back into the tub, pressing against Harry. “Show me,” he murmured.
He flipped through the folder, telling him about all of the places he wanted to see. Dreaming, with his eyes wide open, of what it would be like to experience the world with Draco at his side.
And when the water got cold, he wrapped Draco up in a fuzzy towel and brought him to bed. They cozied into the nest of pillows and blankets and Harry talked in hushed tones about his dreams for them until his love fell asleep. Harry hunkered down next to him and drifted off too, dreaming of all their lives might be.
