Know In Your Heart It's True (H/D, PG)

[sesheta66]

Title: Know In Your Heart It's True
Author: sesheta_66
Rating: PG
Word Count: 600
Challenges: dracoharry100's prompt #53 - "Resist" and my 10_themes prompt 07 - "School".
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.

Summary: "Along the aisle between the tables he walked, and he spotted the three Malfoys, huddled together as though unsure whether or not they were supposed to be there, but nobody was paying them any attention ..." - JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


Resisting the urge to carry on to where Ron and Hermione sat, Harry switched direction. There was one more thing he needed to do here before he spoke to Dumbledore, and he knew that this might be his only chance, the only time he could speak to the three of them together.

He removed his Invisibility Cloak, startling them. "Mrs Malfoy, I want to thank you," he said, resting his hand on Draco's shoulder. "You saved my life."

She nodded, then looked at her son. "I didn't do it for you."

"Nevertheless, you still saved my life, so thank you."

"I also want to thank you, Draco." The name sounded foreign on his lips, but Harry could hardly call him Malfoy in present company.

As expected, Draco shot him a quizzical look. "For what?"

"For not identifying me at the Manor, when you so easily could have. And for not letting Crabbe kill me. He could have, but you stopped him, and I'll never forget that."

He could see Draco warring with himself, could feel him tense up under Harry's hand, resisting his natural instinct to lash out at Harry with some snide remark, before he too nodded at Harry.

Harry turned to Draco's father, the man who was Voldemort's right hand, the man who had tried to kill Harry himself, and had put his family into the situation they had found themselves in. "Lucius," Harry said, not affording him the respect of addressing him more formally. He didn't deserve it.

"Surely you are not about to thank me?" he said derisively. Harry could feel Draco tense up at his father's words.

Harry snorted. "Hardly," he scoffed. "You do realize that you almost caused your family to perish with your stupidity?"

Once again, Draco resisted a verbal attack on Harry.

"Yes, Mr Potter, I am well aware of what I cost my family."

"Are you?" Harry asked, maintaining his hand's hold on Draco's shoulder, gently preventing him from coming to his father's defence. "Are you really?"

He had the good grace to look ashamed. "Yes, I am," he replied weakly.

"Good." Harry somehow resisted the urge to press the point further, and turned to face Draco, squeezing his shoulder gently.

"Draco, there is something you need to know."

"What's that?"

"Your parents ... they love you."

He didn't think Draco could have looked more surprised than he did just then.

"I grew up without parents, thanks to Voldemort, and I didn't know anything about them before coming to Hogwarts. I found out only then what had happened. But once I got here, everyone made sure I knew just how much they loved me. My father died protecting me, and my mother gave her life to save mine."

Harry couldn't resist the need to make Draco understand. It had been so important to him to know his parents loved him above all else, and he knew, no matter what else, that Draco deserved that same comfort, to know that he's loved.

"You should know that your parents love you that much. I watched your father plead with Voldemort to enter the castle to find you. Voldemort was not pleased, but your father needed to know you were safe.

"Your mother lied to Voldemort to make sure you were safe. She saved my life in the process, but it was all for you."

Harry thought he saw the hint of a smile tugging at Draco's lips. "Resist the urge to listen to others, and know in your heart it's true."

His job done, Harry gave Draco's shoulder one last squeeze before leaving.

.

Comments

[piratesmile331.livejournal.com]

I wish JKR had given us a scene like this in DH, so that Harry could have had some actual closure with the Malfoys. Well done!

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[svgurl.livejournal.com]

I wish there was a scene like that in the book too! This was just perfect. I really loved it lots.

Thanks for writing & sharing! :)

(http://pics.livejournal.com/svgurl/pic/0005hxwc/)

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Thanks ♥

Oooh! I love the eyes in your icon.

[svgurl.livejournal.com]

those are tommy's beautiful eyes. and the icon was made by iconaddict. :D

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Mmm ... I recognized them. Lovely way to offset them with the icon. ♥

[tweeney.livejournal.com]

Aww! Harry's just too sweet for words, isn't he? :)
I don't really think he needs a closure with the Malfoys though, since he's got a lifetime to spend with them as his in laws, hee! Go team EWE! >:D

Oh btw, what's up with the sheep? Did I miss something? :D

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Good point. But Harry knew that Lucius had led his family down a slippery slope, and Harry had watched what it had done to Draco, through Voldemort's eyes. And he knew that Lucius was going to have to pay for his crimes. But he also knew that no matter what, even though he never had his parents there with him, their love kept him strong. After everything that's happened, he wanted Draco to have that too.

*squishes Harry*

A ewe = a female sheep. So go Team Sheep!

[tweeney.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's true. Lucius may have been a bastard but a bastard who truly loved his son (something I wasn't sure of until DH, actually. Narcissa's love came across clearly in the beginning of HBP).
Anyway, now all that's left for Harry to do is to let Draco know he loves him as well. ♥

Ahaha good one! I didn't even think of that. :D

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

I think he'll just let this sink in first. *nods* They have the rest of their lives to spend together, working things out. ♥

[thrnbrooke.livejournal.com]

Very nice! I agree! Something JK should have given to the Malfoys.

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Not so much Lucius, but Narcissa and Draco, yes. Then again, the books are from Harry's pov, so he just doesn't SEE their closure. For Draco's sake, I'm sure it was there.

[gurliemoviegeek.livejournal.com]

So beautiful!
The hand on the shoulder was simply perfect! Exactly what he should have said to Draco!

You are amazing, my dear!

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Aww ... thanks, hon. :)

[byaghro.livejournal.com]

Very nice! We'll pretend this is what happened, even if we didn't actually see it in the book. Now at the end, Harry just needs to lean over & whisper to Draco, "My room, later, hot snogging, be there." LOL!

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Hee! Works for me.

[lijahlover.livejournal.com]

I liked this a lot!

Thanks!:D

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I like to think that Harry made it to this point eventually ... and Lucius, too. Beautifully realised, and written!

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think so too. Thanks.

[lire-casander.livejournal.com]

Everything that has troubled me since the moment I read that paragraph in DH has been happily resolved in your fic. I always thought that the Malfoys needed to be heard, and Harry needed to speak to them, but, as with Fred's death, JK only took us forward in time with no explanation, which makes her writing less believable. A good writer always gives closure to whathever it's written, if it's the end of a series.

Thanks for writing this.

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Thanks, hon. Glad you liked it. And yeah ... I thought Harry could have taken a moment to at least approach the Malfoys. It might not have been this nice, but still.

He felt for Draco when he was watching through Voldemort's eyes, so it makes sense to me that he would offer some sort of comfort to him ... just as a fellow human being, a fellow student, and a person who knew Draco had been coerced.

He also doesn't strike me as a person that wouldn't at least say thanks briefly to Narcissa. And there's no love lost between him and Lucius.