Dwelling Quotes

“It feels like you’re cheating on me,” Draco said. His voice cracked halfway through the sentence.

Harry stared at him, his breath caught in his chest.

“I know it’s the curse,” Draco said, and had to turn away, sniffing angrily, running his hand over his face. “I know - I know it’s not real. And we hate each other or - politely tolerate each other, or whatever’s been going on, and you and the girl Weasley are -- but it feels like you’re cheating on me.”

“Draco,” Harry said. The word sounded like it had been torn out of him.

“And it’s like I’m crazy,” Draco continued, eyes huge and hungry, fixed on Harry’s face, “because no one else thinks it’s strange, and I want - I want everyone to notice. I want Weasley to say something about it. But instead it’s - it’s all fucked up, and I can’t tell anyone, and--”

“I broke up with Ginny,” Harry said. Draco made a tiny, winded noise and stopped talking, mouth snapping shut, thin face turned towards Harry. Harry swallowed hard and continued, “It hasn’t been right between us for a long time. Not since after the Battle. But, er, we finished it, um, officially. Last night. So.”

“Right,” Draco said, voice strange and stilted. “Right. Well.”

“I felt like I was cheating on you, too,” Harry said.”
― aideomai, Dwelling

“Draco,” Harry said, because the heat of the sun was on his cheeks but he couldn’t look away from Draco’s thin, tired face. He was worn down here, the way he had never been in the curse world. He looked older, all the strain of the war and disaster taken out on him. He would never be the lighthearted kid who had kissed Harry at Hogsmeade in the fresh air after the rain.

“We can’t be childhood sweethearts,” Draco said, with a sour little smile and the flicker of the Unbreakable Vow playing around his knuckles, “and we can’t have that weird, lovely life where everything was good and we always knew the right thing to do.”

Harry stared at him. High up, away from him, he was aware of the faint, rough sound of Hermione crying.

“We can have something else,” Draco said, and he held his free hand out to Harry.”
― aideomai, Dwelling

“Draco yawned against Harry’s shoulder, pressed a light kiss there. “Hair,” he mumbled, and Harry obediently lifted his head, tucked his growing hair under his cheek so it didn’t tickle Draco’s nose. Draco yawned again and said through it, voice thick, “Score okay?”

Harry’s chest hurt. “He’s fine,” he said. “Go back to sleep.”

“Mm.” Draco slung an arm over Harry’s chest, groped around for his hand. He threaded their fingers together. “Night.”

“Goodnight,” Harry said. He felt miserable, and guilty, like he was lying to Draco or tricking him. He drew in a couple of breaths and said, “This is real.”

“Mm?”

“It’s real,” Harry said, stubborn. “I want this one to be real. I want it.”
― aideomai, Dwelling