Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ A New Beginning ❯ After the War ( Chapter 1 )

Title: A New Begining

Chapter: 1/?

Author: Katrina Carter

Pairings: Draco/Harry, some Lupin/Snape

Warnings: Snogging, Angst, Lemons (Lupin/Snape, Draco/Harry), Bastard/Abusive-Ron, Bitchy-Ginny, Understanding-Hermione, Horny-Snape Ravished by Lupin up against a wall

Rating: R

Archived: MuggleNet, Hex Files

Disclaimer: If I owned them I would be rich, not sitting here typing this… Understand? This is why JK Rowling is famous and I'm not.

Feedback: PLEASE REPLY!!!!!

Beta: LavaKissezx3

 

<i>AN: This is the first Harry Potter fic I have ever written. Please give me criticism... good or bad... I'm a big girl, I can take it! **Gets the fire place ready for flames, so she can stay warm**

 

AN 2: Also, if you want to archive this fic on your site, drop me a line.My contact details are attached to my name on the site.</i>

 

<u><b>After the War</b></u>

 

The forbidden forest was quiet for once, and this caused a shiver of forgotten fear to creep along the spine of a handsome young man. Deep green eyes looked around wildly, partially confused to why the trees were so silent. His midnight black hair blew in the wind, letting the fading lightening scar, which marred his forehead, show. Walking forward slowly, he made a conscious decision to get out of the forest. With his wand rested in his hand, ready to strike at anyone who would attack him, he continued to walk forward in the darkness. Seeing a clearing up ahead, he ran forward, and smiled at the sight of Hagrid's hut. The young man, who was <i>the</i> Harry Potter, sighed in relief and knocked on the thick wooden door. The door slowly creaked open, and soon Harry was pulled inside and wrapped in a large, suffocating hug.

 

“'Arry! How are ya? Been lookin' fer ya fer a few months now!” A sad chuckle came from his lips at Hagrid's statement.

 

“I missed you too Hagrid, but I said I would only return when the Horcruxes and Voldemort were destroyed.” Harry's matter-of-fact tone made Hagrid pull back.

 

“He's gone fer good now 'Arry? Are yer sure?” The smile and nod brought a shout of joy to the half-giant's lips and Harry was caught up in another bone crunching hug. With the promise to bring Harry into Hogwarts in the morning, the two chatted the night away.

Wearing his best suit, Hagrid led Harry into the main hall. Seeing McGonnagall as the Head Mistress brought back the painful memories of Dumbledore's untimely death. Smiling at the teachers, Harry asked them all if he could speak to them privately. They all agreed readily and walked to the Head Master's office, once they arrived, Harry spoke.

 

“As you all know, I was only to return once the Horcruxes and Voldemort were all destroyed. I assume that you all heard that he had been defeated a week ago, and due to my exhaustion magically and mentally, it took me longer to return.” He raised his hand as one of the Professors moved to speak.

 

“I know I could have owled, but there were still some Death Eaters around. Luckily I was able to hide with Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy, who were also hiding from renegade Death Eaters as well. While staying with them, I learned why Snape had to kill Dumbledore, and why they ran. When I was strong enough, I apparated into the forest, and stayed with Hagrid last night. Thus, that leads us to right now. The reason I've returned is to find a place to rest and remain hidden from the outside world, and reporters. I really don't want to be plastered on the front page again.”

 

McGonagall had a feeling this was why Harry returned and had already gotten all the Black estates, as well as some powerful spells and wards to help keep him hidden. Smiling at the thoughtfulness of his old head of house, he left to set up his new home, and invited Draco and Severus to live with him.

It took three days of continuous cleaning spells before Harry was happy with the results. Sending his, hopefully, new house mates a message via the floo network to come over when they were ready. An hour later, the two tumbled out of the fire place, making Harry laugh as he cleaned and helped them up. Showing them to their rooms, he managed to throw together a light meal, before he heard the tapping on his window sill. Seeing that the owl belonged to his friend Ron, Harry was reluctant to take the letter and read it. He knew that Ron wanted him to marry Ginny, his younger sister, but Harry no longer had feelings for the young red-headed girl. The problem was that they would not like the fact that Harry was gay, and in love with Draco of all people. Sighing, he opened the letter and began to read.

<i>Harry!

We heard from Hagrid that you've returned and all. Mum was just so happy that you were safe, that she didn't mind that you skipped the Burrow. Well, while you were gone, Hermione accepted my proposal and we are to marry next spring. Ginny's much happier now that you're back, and hopes that you'll owl her, she missed you terribly, and can't wait to hear from you. Also, we'd like to visit you sometime soon; mum wants to give you the presents you missed while you were fighting, so just give us a shout when it's convenient for you. See you soon.

Ron</i>

Harry sighed and wondered how he was going to break the news to them. He was so deep in thought that he didn't see Draco or Severus enter the room. He jumped in surprise at the sound of Draco's voice.

 

“Is everything alright Harry?” A rueful chuckle left his lips and showed the two of them the letter.

 

“How should I break it to them that I'm gay? Or that I'm not that comfortable around loud, chirpy people? I don't want to break ties with them, but I have a feeling that we'll do that anyways. Ginny and Ron hold mean grudges, and it'll cause the rift between us, so...”

 

He shrugged in a sign of mental exhaustion that only came when the Weasley's were mentioned. It wasn't that he didn't want to contact them, but he knew that the confrontation would be more painful than anything else.

 

Draco put the letter on the table, and began to rub his friend's shoulders, and whispered, “How bout you owl Remus and ask him to come live here with us? It would be nice to see another friendly face again.” Harry smiled and motioned them to sit, and enjoy the light meal that was ready.

Later that night, Harry looked out the window of his newest home, and smiled. He was now finally able to live the life he has always wanted. All he had to do now was to court Draco, and get Remus to live with them. Walking over to the desk, Harry wrote a letter to his last father figure and invited him to live with him at one of the many Black estates. He told him that Severus and Draco lived with him as well, and that they had put the past behind them. He also wanted him to visit at least, because he could use some desperate advice. Sending Hedwig out, Harry finally climbed the stairs to go to bed; there was a lot to do tomorrow, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it just yet. Getting changed into a pair of dark green pajama bottoms, Harry finally slipped between his satin sheets and fell asleep quickly and peacefully, and anxiously awaiting Remus' reply yet dreading that he still had to reply to Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Weasley clan.

Bright morning light shone through the curtains, causing Harry to groan; blinking he sat up slowly and let the silver sheets pool on his lap. Fumbling for his glasses on the bedside table, he stretched and crawled out of bed. Scratching his head, and making his hair even more mussed, Harry pulled on his dark blue robe and made his way to the kitchen. Smiling at Draco and Severus, he made a simple breakfast of cereal and plopped down into his chair. As he ate, he made small talk with Draco and Severus. Within several moments of their conversation, Hedwig flew into the kitchen and dropped a letter next to Harry's plate, and flew back out the window. Opening the letter, Harry smiled at the sight of Remus' writing.

<i>Harry!

It's good to hear from you again. Congratulations on your new found freedom. I'll come by later this evening; however, I might not stay for long, but thank you for the offer once again. See you tonight!

Remus -Moony- Lupin</i>

Laughter burst from Harry's throat and he passed the letter to the others at the table. Smiling at Harry's mirth, Draco and Severus passed significant looks that Harry missed due to his joy. Once he calmed down, Harry finished his breakfast and told his house mates that he would finish cleaning the rooms and that they could continue exploring if they so wished. Leaving the two in the kitchen, Draco took the time to speak with his godfather.

 

“He's changed so much since the battle.” Draco's voice was sad and held other emotions. “He's trying to stay the same, but his body shows how different he is.” Severus nodded gravely. “His reaction to the Weasely's letter was sadness, as if he knows that his friend won't change. That is not what I expected when the letter was bound to come. You should push softly to see if he would be interested in your offering, and if he is,” A slytherin smirk came to their lips, “Let the courting begin.”

It took Harry half the day to clean the rooms, and to get everything set up for guests. Once he was done, Draco had just finished setting the table, and Harry's eyes widened; on the table was his favorite meal, Sheppard's pie. Seeing the surprise on Harry's face was well worth the time making the meal itself. Motioning Harry to sit, Draco served up reasonable portions and told him that Snape had to go into town.

 

“He needed some more supplies, and hid behind a glamour charm so that no-one could recognize him.”

 

A smile lit up Harry's face as he dug into the meal, listening to Draco talk about his adventures of the day. Harry was glad that Draco loved his library, and that he even was intrigued by the mixture of magic and muggle books that lined the walls. Harry had begun to explain that he liked to see the difference between fact and muggle thoughts on what they thought Vampires, Werewolves and other mystical creatures were. They talked all afternoon about what they had been up to, well mostly Draco since he knew that Harry wouldn't be comfortable talking about the battle with Voldemort just yet. With just a few snippets about explaining that he had to destroy parts of Voldemort's soul before Harry could actually kill him, spiked Draco's interest, but held it back for Harry's sake. Harry would have continued, even though there was a lot of pain and nightmares, but Snape had come through the door with Remus.

“Remus, I'm so glad you could come!”

 

Harry smiled broadly and hugged his last father figure. Breaking away from Harry, Remus smiled and shook Draco's hand.

 

“Hello Harry and it's good to see that you and Draco are getting along. Severus told me how you helped Harry recover from his magical exhaustion.”

 

Harry blushed lightly, and Draco stepped forward, internally pleased with Harry's reaction.

 

“I knew he needed help, and since Severus was busy making the potions, I just made sure to keep an eye on Harry. It was during that time that we got over our childish rivalry at Hogwarts five years ago.”

 

Harry's blush deepened, and nodded. Excusing himself, he went to kitchen to make some dinner, and to pull the heat from his face.

As Harry was making dinner, Severus showed Remus the letter that Harry had gotten from Ron. Frowning, Remus had a feeling the Harry was nervous about how he would react to him, or Harry's feelings towards the Weasely's had changed during the battles. Thanking Severus, he made his way to the kitchen, keeping his thoughts to himself.

 

“Harry, can we talk?”

 

A muffled alright reached his ears, and he saw Harry digging in the cupboards for something. Sitting at the table, he waited for Harry to come out and he pointed to a chair.

 

“Your letter spoke to me of confusion, fear and insecurity. What's wrong? You know I'll do everything I can to help you.”

 

Harry smiled and nodded. Taking a deep breath, he explained how he wasn't going to be comfortable around people who were excessively happy. Also, his fear of their reaction to him being gay, and how they would take on the fact that he was attracted to Draco Malfoy was quite strong as well. Remus looked at him softly and hugged him.

 

“If they can't accept it Harry then they aren't good friends. Also, the longer it takes for you to talk to them, the harder it's going to be.”

As the four sat down to dinner, Harry thought over what Remus had said. Seeing the wisdom, he decided to send Ron an owl, and ask if he could go visit them. Drifting back to the conversation at hand, Harry smirked when he saw how Remus and Severus reacted towards each other. Shaking his head softly, Harry never saw the way Draco had been looking at him, nor did he see the three hidden smiles. Snape and Lupin offered to do the dishes, and Harry went to write his letter with Draco following close behind.

 

“What are you going to tell them?”

 

Seeing the hidden worry in those blue-gray eyes, Harry smiled and shrugged.

 

“The truth; if they don't like it, then they never really cared in the first place.”

 

Draco smiled and helped Harry write a neutral letter to Ron, as well as meaningful, so that they still realized that it was Harry who had written the letter. Sending it off with Hedwig, Harry smiled and waited for their response. Days went by, and Harry had forgotten about his reply from Ron, as he spent time with the people in his home. After a week had passed, Hedwig returned and dropped the letter in his lap as they were lounging outside. Petting her head as he read the letter, Harry was shocked to see that it was from Hermione.

<i>Harry,

I'm sorry that it took a while for this letter to reach you, but we had just gotten back from a week of wedding preparations. If you could come by tomorrow, it would be wonderful. I'm anxious to hear from you, and I'm glad that you're well.

Love, Hermione

PS. Ginny has been acting weird, and I think she's brewing something. Don't trust her if she sends you things.</i>

Harry blinked at Hermione's warning and showed the others the letter.

 

“Severus, is there an anti-love potion, so that it will cancel out whatever Ginny might give me?”

 

Shaking his head, Harry pursed his lips and frowned. Thinking about how he should be cautious, Harry got an idea. He would remain with Hermione and Molly most of the time that he would be at the Burrow. Giving his plan to the others, they suggested that he tell Hermione first about the changes in him. Agreeing readily, Harry went inside to prepare some things for his visit to the Weasely's. As he left, he never saw the worried look that Draco shot his way.

 

“They'll hurt him, I just know it. Ron and Ginny Weasley will hurt him; Granger might not, but the other two will.” Two sad nods followed Draco's assessment and this frightened them even more.