Chapter Text
Chapter 15. Ring
Draco digs his toes into the warm sand and tilts his head to catch the last of the sun’s rays. Harry walks beside him, their hands comfortably entwined as they stroll down the beach. Draco can’t believe it’s their last night in America; tomorrow, they fly back to England, and whilst Draco is looking forward to seeing Nigel again, he also wishes this holiday would never end. Out here, he’s not Draco Malfoy, infamous Death Eater, and his boyfriend isn’t Harry Potter, the boy who lived. No, out here, they’re just Harry and Draco, and Draco decides he rather likes it that way.
A couple jogs leisurely past them and Harry pulls Draco to a stop, spinning so his back is against Draco’s chest. Draco rests his head on top of Harry’s and they stare off into the sunset, which is starting to bleed red as the sun hits the horizon. Draco sighs deeply.
“I love you, Harry,” he murmurs.
Harry doesn’t say it back.
Draco frowns and shifts round to see Harry’s face. Harry’s worrying his lower lip with his teeth and fidgeting. Draco brushes Harry’s cheek gently with his thumb.
“Harry? What’s wrong?”
Harry’s eyes – nervous, anxious – meet Draco’s, and suddenly it feels as if the world has dropped away from underneath his feet. Harry’s breaking up with him. What else could it be? Draco drops his hand and takes half a step back, but he can’t make himself move any further. He fights the urge to be sick. No, Harry, no. Please, no.
Harry takes a deep breath and gets down on one knee.
Draco looks down at him in confusion. Does he think kneeling down to deliver the bad news will make it hurt any less? Against his will he feels tears sting his eyes and he blinks them back hurriedly. He won’t cry, he tells himself. He won’t.
Harry licks his lips. “Draco,” he says, “I love you.”
Oh, Draco thinks. That doesn’t sound like the first line from someone who wants to split up.
Harry digs one hand into his pocket as he looks up at Draco beseechingly. “I’ve never been happier than when I’m around you. You make me smile and you make me laugh, and the best bit is that most of the time you’re not even trying to. When I’m with you, it feels like there’s nothing I can’t do. You make me feel complete. Draco...”
His voice chokes off and he pulls out a small box from his pocket, which he opens and offers to Draco. Draco steps forward to get a better look. Inside is a gorgeous ring, a plain gold band studded with delicate emeralds. Draco smiles with relief. Harry’s not breaking up with him; he’s just giving Draco a present. Why Harry looks to be on the verge of passing out, Draco doesn’t know. Maybe it’s just because he’s not used to giving expensive presents, and he’s worried he’s bought Draco the wrong thing. Draco smiles at Harry reassuringly and takes the ring, trying to slip it onto his middle finger. It’s a little small, but it fits perfectly on his next finger.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you,” Draco says, and then he realises that people are clapping. There’s a couple with a dog stood a few metres away, half a dozen teenagers that have just got out of the sea, and the joggers they passed a few minutes ago who must have turned round and headed home. All of them are clapping, some are whistling and hooting, and Draco has no idea why. He glances down at Harry to see if he knows, but Harry is looking up at Draco with an expression of shocked horror on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Draco asks, worried.
Harry’s mouth works fruitlessly for a few moments. “You’ve got no idea what just happened, have you?”
Draco frowns. “Er, you gave me a present?” he asks tentatively, then winces when Harry pales, “I’m sorry. Have I done something wrong? I really do like it.”
Harry groans and pushes himself to his feet. He brushes sand off his knees and waves to the clapping people, who start to disperse. Draco looks about in confusion.
“Did you know them?”
“No.”
“Then why did they stop and clap?”
Harry rubs his temples. “Because they think we just got engaged.”
“Engaged?”
“To be married.”
And for the second time in five minutes, Draco can’t breathe. “Married?” he croaks.
Harry nods and shrugs sheepishly. “I suppose I should have checked that wizards and muggles proposed the same way. The thought that they wouldn’t never crossed my mind.”
Draco gapes and stares at the ring that he’s just slipped onto his hand. “You just proposed to me?”
Harry smiles sadly. “Yes. And you had no idea what I was doing.”
He wraps his arms around himself and turns away, towards the sea. Draco looks down at his hand, at the ring, the ring that means Harry wants to marry him. This time, he doesn’t try to stop the tears from falling. The emotions welling up inside him are like nothing he’s ever felt, so strong, so overpowering, and all of them centred on Harry. Harry, the man Draco loves, the man he wants to stay with for the rest of his life. He chokes out a laugh, steps forward and gathers Harry up into his arms.
“Yes,” Draco whispers into Harry’s ear, “Yes, I would love to marry you.”
And then Harry starts crying, and the rest of the world fades away into nothingness as Draco finds Harry’s lips and pulls him down into the golden sand.
Later, they lie comfortably on the beach, Draco on his back and Harry curled up on his side with his head on Draco’s chest. Draco cards his fingers through Harry’s soft hair. The sun’s gone, and they’re completely alone except for the sound of the waves.
“Did you choose this yourself?” Draco asks, rubbing his ring with his thumb.
Harry nods. “Yeah. Are you sure you like it?”
“It’s perfect,” Draco says, “But where’s yours?”
“I didn’t buy one for myself,” Harry says, grinning in amusement, “It wasn’t me I was proposing to.”
Draco hums. “As soon as we get home I’m going to buy you one, so everyone will know you’re mine.”
“Fine with me,” Harry sighs.
Draco closes his eyes. The moment is so calm, so tranquil, so perfect, that he doesn’t want to spoil it, but it’s unfair to Harry to wait any longer. Draco wishes he didn’t have to be the voice of reason, but Harry obviously doesn’t know much about this, and it will be better to get it over and done with sooner rather than later. He takes a deep breath.
“Harry?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“We can’t get married.”
Harry rolls over so fast he accidentally elbows Draco in the gut. “What?” he whispers, his face going white.
Draco brushes Harry’s cheek with his thumb. “It’s not recognised,” he chokes out, “Marriage between two women or two men, that is. We can commit ourselves to each other, but it won’t have any legal standing.”
Harry laughs. Draco stares at him incredulously. Did Harry not just hear him? Harry grins and brushes Draco’s hair back from his forehead.
“Don’t scare me like that,” he whispers.
“It’s true,” Draco says.
“In the wizarding world, perhaps,” Harry says, “But not in the muggle.”
Draco stares at him, feeling hope rekindle in his chest. “We can be married in the muggle world? Properly, officially married?”
“Not in England,” Harry says, “They do civil partnerships, which is supposed to be equivalent but it’s not technically a marriage. Elsewhere in the world, though, we could get married. Massachusetts, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada...”
“I like the idea of Canada,” Draco whispers, “Do they have roller coasters there?”
“I’m sure they do,” Harry laughs, “Canada it is then. We’ll start looking into how to apply for a licence as soon as we get home.”
“The sooner the better,” Draco says, standing up and holding his hand out to Harry.
“You do know that it doesn’t matter what time we get to the airport – the plane won’t leave any sooner,” Harry chuckles.
Draco rolls his eyes and kisses Harry softly. He can barely believe this is possible. He can legally marry the man of his dreams, the man he wants to spend every morning waking up next to and every night falling asleep with, the man he loves more than life itself. He’s never even considered the possibility himself, knowing it couldn’t happen in the wizarding world, and the joy he feels at knowing there is a way that they can be a proper family is overwhelming. He and Harry (and Nigel, of course), together forever. He likes the sound of that.
“What are you thinking?” Harry murmurs.
“I bloody love muggles,” Draco says.
Harry smiles, takes Draco’s hand and leads him off into their happily ever after.