Chapter 37
Harry
&age is le might all a fixer-upper.
&his beause it is exatly what Hermione had alled it, smiling aroule house with the look o normally ht before she hands he and Ron study shedules, trailihrough the dust oops. “It’s a bit of a fixer upper Harry,” She had said, Ron nodding along with her in approval, a habit both he and Harry had piked up from ministry di with a little work, this sure is goihing.”
A little work did. Harry had pns for this house, pns so big that they should be written out in apital letters, and it’s going to take a while to get them doo do them the right way, the muggle way.
(Drao had rolled his eyes, but after Harry had poihat he does all his leaning the muggle .)
“I just think it’ll take you forever.” Drao had said, following him through the door while levitatihat Harry would be using with one sweep of a waher?”
&hen it’ll be mine,” Harry says, beause he had liked the idea of k rain of sanded down wood ahat went into every iing, but then he amended his a to hold Drao’s hand, who rolled his eyes. “Ours.”
“Alright.” Drao rolled his eyes, but Harry knew he won, beause Drao always aves when Harry starts to talk like that. He tries not to abuse the power too muh but he wanted —his projet, just to give him a little more time ts out. He always had thought best when he was doing mune work like that. “Anything you want, Harry.”
Of ourse, the fat that it rojet made it Drao’s projet, too, handing him tools as he hammered nail after nail ieps and swiping paint along Harry’s heek whehink he was beiention, and also being all around bossy, whih Harry eti a lot of afternoons here, Drao popping in around noon, insisti him luaying until dusk, where they ould sit with their legs gliall porh and wathi dowhe fields.
This ould be every day for the rest of my life, Harry would think, every siaking Drao’s hand in his and pressing a kiss to his kime he thought it, like he was sealing the promise. It was the first time he was thinkiure and not feeling afraid. I ould feel this happy, every , as long as I live.
It was a , a good thought. And a strange o for the past seven years before hand, he had always beeep away from dying. Ahree years, he thought that death ahe only paths his life ould travel down, and somehow, no matter whih ohem lived, he would ehe fight was done.
(That’s the thing, isn’t it, about her ahe other survives—it soes the other way, too, like they o for eah other, beause of eah other, beause what is hero without a vilin to fight against?)
(Harry knows the answer now: nothing. Just a person. The only problem is he didn’t know how to be that, . He’s hoping this house will help him figure it out.)
Today was ohose days, where Dras lunh and ritiques Harry’s work while he eats in a way that should be nagging but was mostly just fond, auk arouoday Harry was learihat Drao was going to use for his potioo make sure it was dht. And it was. Harry had made sure of that, srubbing it from top to bottom before he did anythiiside and puttihe inside, even limbing up oo path up the himney. A was over, they wereo leave, yet, so Drao somehow mao make a meal out of the remnants of their lunh a to the deaying greenhouse for a pini.
“It’s sort of beautiful like this,” Drao said, waving his wand zily to gesture at the greenhouse. Bubbles streamed out of the tip and Harry aught them on his hands, wathi. “All broken down.”
&iful disasters. Drao likes those, Harry is lear hopes that has nothing to do with how muh Drao seems to love him.
“We ould leave it like this, if you want.” Harry wouldn’t mind. He had always loved when thile more haoti, probably beause so muh of his early life at the Dursley’s had been oifled. He likes to olor outside the liimes, just to remind himself he an. Plus, the only real problem was the holes in the roof, and they ould get Hermioo y doell that fixes that. “Ohio do.”
& impratial though,” Drao mused, maybe to be diffiult or maybe beause he was atually it. “A broken down greenhouse.”
“her of us are muh f though,” Harry poi, a like the idea of this falling into disarray. It would be a herihough, if he brought out some ables, maybe put in a pool. Auunia would have killed for a party spae like that, if it had been a little er.
“We ould be,” Dra onto his stomah. “Here.”
Here. Here was different from their other lives, like else they were, all the thi they had to be, it evaporated the momeepped foot in this little house and all its sprawling grounds. It was like other people, wheled down here.
Harry reahed out to e his fihrough Drao’s and then gave up, rolliead, the top of his head nudging his shoulder. “