Title: Finding Happiness
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Warnings Apply
Fandom: Harry Potter
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Tags: Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence, Light Angst
Summary: Draco was trying to make the best of the situation until something changes it all.
Word Count: 2,904
Spoilers: Entire Original Book Series
Beta: Grammarly



Draco Malfoy looked around the ballroom, frowning for his last night of freedom. The masked ball was the last thing he would do before going home to marry the Potter heir. It wasn't what he wanted, but he didn't want to have his family's name shamed for not doing what was asked of him. There were already extensive clauses for mistresses, and Draco planned on waiting until Potter chose to go that route first. It was petty as hell, but Draco lived to be petty.

The band started up a new piece, one of Draco's favorites to dance to. He stepped out to look for the partner he had been dancing with most of the night. There was no sight of him, and Draco sighed. He had hoped that his dance card would only be filled by his mystery man. Every person there was a mystery to him. No one was allowed to know who each other was unless they went to bed after the ball. Draco didn't plan on doing that. He just wanted to have a little fun but not that much fun. He wasn't one to just have sex. He had done it in Hogwarts, but it had never made him feel good.

After Hogwarts, Draco had gone to college, which was why he was here in France. He had earned degrees in the Art of Mind Healing and learned what Muggles called demisexual. It was the closest he had found since he had gone to bed with a few friends in college and felt something, but only once had they gotten to know each other well, and there was something there.

"Ready?"

Draco turned to look at his new friend. The man's mouth was quirked in a smile, and he held out his hand.

"I wondered where you had gotten to."

"Just had to step out for a little bit of air and deal with an issue my House Elf brought up to me."

"That sounds like a bother on a night like tonight."

"Hmm, I will be taking over my house as my father would like to enjoy his golden years, as he calls them. So I'm the front for that kind of thing right now."

"Is your father here?" Draco hadn't seen too many older people who were not the ones running the party. He had been looking for anyone he thought might be someone he knew. He knew many people in France due to his father's family, and the invite for this had come through him. Yet, no one stepped up. Draco's mask covered his face well, but his hair was an example of something he was known for. Just like the Potter heir was known for hair like his father's and eyes like his mother's.

Draco let himself be led onto the dance floor. His partner took his hand and pulled him close, settling in to dance with Draco.

"You dance well, an avid learner or just a bored socialite?"

"Neither I liked it at school because it was active. I played Quidditch at Hogwarts. I just wanted to be active, so I took extra classes for dance. It kept me active and made my years at Hogwarts go by quickly. I was out of there as quickly as I could. It wasn't easy to do it like that, but I made it through without making too many enemies of the people who used to be allies."

"Ah, one of the children of the Death Eaters who turned on Voldemort. I'm glad you survived that ordeal."

"Your accent is strange."

"Hazard of wandering around Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, and Italy as a child. It never picked what it wanted, thrown in with a rich mix of London. Every summer, my family moved to a new place to live; every two or three years, we came back to London and the house there for the summer before moving elsewhere."

"You didn't go to Hogwarts?"

"No. I was taught by my mother. She didn't trust Dumbledore, and in the end, it all came down to that. She was afraid of what Dumbledore would do if I was taught at another school."

Draco knew that things had changed a lot during his years at Hogwarts, including a smaller class than normal, as many of the dominant families in the English Wizarding World had chosen to home school their children instead of sending them to Hogwarts, where they feared Dumbledore. Even after he was ousted in Draco's second year, none of those children had come to Hogwarts. It had made for interesting years there, but Draco had kept his head down. He understood why his father made him go there. Proving that Draco and his father didn't fear what could happen with everything.

Lucius Malfoy had made his choice in the fall of Voldemort and, with the wraith unable to do much, had turned on Voldemort in the aftermath. No one understood how James and Lily Potter had survived the attack by Voldemort on their cottage where they were hiding, but Draco and his family did. His mother had warned them that Voldemort was coming.

It had turned everything on its head for the Wizarding World. Draco had found himself in a world that was still shaping itself. Draco wasn't sure if it would ever get itself settled down in his lifetime. He just wanted to live his life how he wanted, but there was still more, given everything his family had done.

"You seem sad."

Draco pulled back enough in his partner's hold to look at the man's face. He gave him a smile. "I'm letting myself think of the future too much."

"Ah, I know that well. Duty and honor mean doing things that one would never want to do. I know that well. I'm sorry you have to do the same."

"Let's talk about anything but that," Draco pleaded.

"Of course. Let's discuss the idiocy of the British Wizarding World and their stupid classification of what is dark, grey, and light."

Draco laughed.

---

Draco wasn't sure what was going on, but he was pissed off. He didn't want to blow his top at the next person who talked to him, but everyone was bothering him after he told Dobby he wanted to be left alone.

"Dobby, I mean it. If this place is burning to the ground, I don't want anyone bothering me," Draco said as he opened his door to look at the House Elf.

"Of course, Master Draco, but..." Dobby started to wring his hands together. "You promised lunch."

"Is it really that late?" Draco looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. He grabbed the letter from his friend and headed to the dining hall. Once a week, he ate lunch with Harry. Despite their marriage, they were slowly becoming close friends. Draco didn't hate him, which was something he thought he would do since the Potter Heir had been raised outside of England for the most part.

When they were children, they had gotten on well, and it was why the marriage contract had been written up, and it allowed both sides to put aside things and to show that healing was happening. Draco thought it was shit, but he had years to get everything on his side down. He and Harry were friendly, and Draco was falling in love more with his friend.

"Good afternoon, Draco," Harry said while sitting at the small table in their private dining room. The Potter house Draco had moved into was just as horrible as the Malfoy one looking like it was a place where a king or queen would be living. Yet, unlike the Malfoy Manor, there was a wing that was just Draco and Harry's. It had its own kitchen and dining room, and it was like a smaller house inside of a larger manor. It was honestly the best place Draco had ever lived.

"Good afternoon," Draco said back. He settled in at the table and looked over the list of items that were on offer for the meal. He picked up the quill and marked down what he wanted. He turned to his letter from his friend as soon as he was done.

Harry was looking at a scroll himself and making notes on the pad beside him. Harry worked entirely too much on the running of his estate when he also worked a job as a solicitor who was making sure that everyone in the House of Lords regretted their lives when they tried to keep Wizarding Britain in the dark ages when it came to a lot of things. Draco's own job was busy, but nearly as much as Harry kept on his plate.

Yet, Harry was attentive to what Draco wanted. He offered and didn't stop even when Draco turned him down on things. Breakfast wasn't ever eaten together, but lunch was usually on the weekend once a week as it was the only time that they both didn't work the full day.

"You are looking like you are getting more sleep. I'm happy. Your father commented that you looked like I wasn't taking enough care of you."

"Yes, I put him in his place on that and reminded him that I was my own person who could control his sleep schedule. I finally finished the books I was reading."

"You were not getting sleep to read?" Harry asked.

Draco ducked his head and didn't look up again, tucking into the food that appeared on his plate. He turned to look at the letter and stopped when he saw the words "I'm so sorry" on top of it. He pulled the letter closer.

Dearest Friend,

I'm so sorry. I find that I must end this. I feel like I am neglecting someone else, and what we have can never move past letters. I have given my name to someone else, and I cannot hurt them this way, even if what we have will never go beyond polite friendship despite our marriage. I had thought I could do it, but I could never use you that way. I refuse to use you that way. I find myself caring for my husband more than I thought I would, given the arrangement of it when I was a child. I would never want you to be second to him as I feel too much for you. Goodbye.

Forever,

Your Friend

Draco wanted to scream. He wanted to launch into a fit, but he kept himself calm.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Draco snapped.

"Oh."

Draco looked up at Harry and saw how he was looking down, downcast in a way Draco had never seen him. Draco folded up the parchment again and slipped it under the edge of the plate that held the bread for his meal.

"I didn't mean to snap. I got a bit of information that upset me a little bit. I do not wish to talk about it."

"Of course, that is your right, but if you wanted someone. My door is open all of the time."

Draco nodded, but he vowed to never bring it up with Harry. Draco didn't delight in hurting him on this.

---

Draco wasn't sure what he was going to do. His letters to his friend had come back unread, with the owl unable to make the trip. Draco hadn't been shocked since it had always been his friend's owl who had delivered the letter to him. He had thought it meant that his friend knew who he was.

The Snowy Owl hadn't been seen in weeks at the Potter Manor, and Draco missed the sight of her. Harry had a collection of owls, never using too many of them too many times in a row. Harry's protections on his owls were insane, but Draco understood how much ire the man got on a daily basis on things. His owls were targets.

Wanting a trip around the grounds, Draco snagged the warmest cloak he had, not only for the material but for the spells on it. It had been a gift from Harry when Draco had settled into the manor, given the cold nature of it.

"Hedwig, please, come down here, you idiot," Harry yelled from somewhere near the hut the owls had on the grounds. Draco hadn't gone near it too often, never wanting to make them think he wanted them to deliver a letter for him. He had his own owl who always came with a push of his magic into the bond he had with the owl.

Draco stopped in his tracks as he took in the owl sitting in a tree.

"You think you are funny, but you are not. You will hurt him, Hedwig. I have already broken off the friendship that was turning into more. Do you plan to just hurt both of us?"

Hedwig barked at Harry, but she didn't fly down to give the shrunk package over to Harry. The world knew of Hedwig, an owl that had nearly died for Harry to protect him when he was a child when a Death Eater had tried to take him out. It was when Draco had started to allow the bond to form between him and his own owl. Archimedes was precious to Draco, and he hadn't wanted to ever lose him, but at least with the bond, there was every chance Draco could save his life.

Draco tried not to make any noise, but still, Hedwig's head turned toward him. Draco didn't react even as Hedwig launched into flight. The bird came right at him, dropping the package into his arms.

"I'm sorry. She's been a brat all week long." Harry rushed over and started to try and take the package from Draco, but Draco stepped back and clutched the parcel to his chest. "Draco?"

Draco knew Hedwig on sight, but not as Hedwig.

"I've heard people say that Hedwig is one of the smartest owls in the world," Draco said.

"She certainly thinks so."

"Well, she's decided that she doesn't like the game anymore, it seems." Draco untied the string holding the package in its shrunk form, and it expanded in Draco's hand quickly. He opened the wrapping and looked up at Harry, who looked worried as hell. Inside was one of the most beautiful pictures of him he had ever seen; now that he had the picture of him and his friend in front of him, he could see Harry in that friend. The way his smile quirked up and to the left. The way he held himself in the picture.

"Please, Draco, don't do this," Harry begged.

"I thought this could go in your bedroom," Draco said.

"What?"

"We still have a lot of work to do." Draco let the box drop, but the picture and its frame were in his hand. He stepped closer to Harry, getting close enough that even with his warm body, he could feel the heat off Harry. Draco pressed his lips to Harry's cheek. "I would raze the world for an hour of your time, alone with just our bodies speaking."

Harry gasped, and he clutched at Draco, holding him close. He laughed. "Hedwig thinks we are idiots."

"Well, it seems that, in this case, it works. You aren't wearing your coat."

"No, I was in the house tending to the owls, and it's warm in there, and I chased Hedwig out after she snagged that from my pocket. I was taking it to storage after I was done with taking care of them. I'm glad she decided she knew what was best for us. I'll finish up with the owls and then head inside. Dobby said he would make me hot chocolate with the cold snap we have going on."

"I'll have him make some for me as well. I'll go inside and wait in the sitting room."

Harry nodded. He pressed a kiss to Draco's cheek, feeling like it had that night. The night he had nearly thrown it all away to ask Harry to take him away from everything, to do something stupid that would have shamed his entire family. That neither of them would have shown up to their own wedding would have been the talk of the gossip columnists, and then to find out that they were running off with the person they were betrothed to.

Draco was upset about the time he missed with Harry, but they had the rest of their lives now. For a while, it might have been his second choice, being with Harry, but now knowing who was hiding under the visage of a man who was doing what was honorable, Draco felt like they were going to be perfect for each other.

"Yes, you are smart, Hedwig, but that doesn't mean I'm giving you the entire bag of treats," Harry said from the doorway of the owl house.

Draco smiled, and he looked at the picture again. He would give it to Dobby to settle in Harry's room for when they hit that stage in their relationship. There was so much to talk about but also for Draco to tell Harry about his sexuality. He needed to make sure he handled it well.

This was the rest of their lives, and Draco wanted them to be happy, despite thinking he would never have it.

The End