This is based in the Harry Potter world created by J.K. Rowling, and ignores the epilogue. It has not been beta read.

#

The first time in five years that everyone made it to the Weasley's for Christmas, Charlie brought a sweet, soft spoken, muggle girl called Maggie home for the holidays. Molly commented that she reminded her of Tonks and there was no doubt her house placement had she been a witch. Hufflepuff.

Molly speaking of Tonks said, 'I always thought you two would have been so great together.'

This caused him to blush, look away from his mother, and attempt to end the conversation. Tonks reminded them of death and death reminded them of Fred's absence.

Next to Molly, Hermione glanced at Teddy across the room talking in his excited manner to his Grandmother and Fluer. It was impossible to not glance his way when she heard the name. She felt her throat close and nodded to her companions, before she headed to the kitchen. At least once a day, she found herself escaping to abandoned parts of the Burrow for a bit of silence. When they were teenagers, she caught Harry at it too. It became a routine where they sat in silence with each other. That died with the war.

Maggie poured herself a glass of wine tucked in the corner in the kitchen and it made Hermione smile. Perhaps is was a Muggle thing after all. She felt an at home comfort when in the same room with Maggie. It reminded her of how she acted her first few years in the magical world. It also reminded her how much she missed her home.

'So', Hermione said. 'How do you like them?'

'Oh!' Maggie startled, and then smiled when she saw who it was. 'Everyone is nice. I already feel at home!'

'Yeah.'

Hermione remember her first visit to the Burrow and how nervous she was. Then she met Arthur's inquisitive mind that matched hers but in the opposite fashion, and as they traded questions and all her reservations disappeared.

'It was the same for Harry and me, when we first meet them.' She wanted to take it back as soon as she said it. Never before had she felt out of place talking for Harry. Even knowing that it was true, she still felt off about claiming his feelings for him.

'I was wondering about.'

She raised her eye brows. 'About Harry?'

'Well, sort of, yes.'

'Harry never really had a family.' Once again she was saying things that, despite their truth, felt foreign for her. 'Ron, Harry and I have been best friends, since we were eleven.' She shrugged her shoulders. 'We're just part of the family now.'

Maggie giggled at something behind Hermione.

Turning around she saw Harry and Malfoy in the hallway. Malfoy leaned against the wall, and Harry's left hand pressed against it. Their faces were close enough to feel each other's breath, but their lips had space between them.

'Honestly', Hermione said huffing. 'They can't get through one evening without shagging.' Harry and Malfoy snuck off to the loo more that twice an evening during all of their visits to the Burrow. No one knew that they were doing anything, but everyone suspected it.

'I think it's sweet.'

She gave Maggie a disbelieving look.

'After five years, they are still in love, and unable to go one evening without kissing each other.'

Five Years? Hermione never asked when or how they ended up together, but five years? She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from frowning.

'Last Christmas', Hermione said. 'Was the first time Harry brought him around. We didn't even know he was seeing anyone before that.' They had no idea then either. Everyone was confused by his presence, and it turned into a fight when Harry reviled the reason behind the action. Malfoy tried to leave, and they were outside yelling for twenty minutes.

'Draco', Maggie said. 'Was what I was wondering about, or rather, their relationship.' She fiddled with her glass of wine.

Hermione refilled her glass. There was no answer for that.

'Since it is obvious that everyone here is uncomfortable with them, I thought it was considerate of them to leave the room when they kissed.'

There was no answer for that, either. Of course, they are uncomfortable with their relationship. It was Malfoy.

'More than considerate. No one else leaves the room when they want to kiss their significant other.' Her tone was harsh.

It surprised Hermione, and she felt as though she was being reprimanded for breaking some rule she never knew about. How did this girl have more information about her best friend that she did?

'Who said they'd been together for five years?'

Maggie smiled. 'Draco told me.'

#

Dinner was the first Maggie noticed any unpleasantness with Charlie's family. The seating arrangements denoted who was more favorable. Conversation showed it's presence by who would cut off whom, or how when certain people spoke everyone else became quiet. But, it was more evident at the table where it was laid out to her in plain view. Everyone sat with their spouse, but the closer to the parents meant something. It was planned though never said aloud. Arthur was at the head of the table, the first to take his seat, and Ginny sat to her father's left.

Then Molly, while making sure everything was at the table, coordinated where everyone sat. It was telling that Ron and Percy were farther away then their own wives. Harry was placed next to Ginny thanks to where Molly had placed Teddy. He was Harry's responsibility, so it left him no other choice except to sit next to Ginny. And Andromeda sat on the other side of Teddy, because she never left his side that Maggie saw.

It forced Draco to the opposite side at the end of the table next to Percy with Audrey across from him and their daughter Molly on her other side. The spot across from him and the foot of the table remained empty. The elder Molly's plot back fired, because Harry turned toward Teddy most of the meal. Even though Ginny's seat suggested a high honour, she was cut off from everyone else by his awkward position.

If their behaviour gone unnoticed as they sat, then the silence at the other end of the table said it louder than anything else could have. Maggie was new and they treated her like candy. Like Harry. Would a simple thing like being the same gender have her separated from Charlie and sitting in the silence?

#

Draco sat alone by the fireplace before Maggie joined him. 'How did you and Charlie meet?'

'I'm a trail guide', Maggie said. 'And I stumbled upon them training dragons.' She laughed at herself. 'A few times, apparently.'

Draco smirked.

'I only remember the last one. They decided that I should remember, so I can help them keep other people away from the danger.'

'How long have you two been together?'

Maggie's forehead wrinkled 'We're not together at all. I was fascinated by his life, and he offered to let me see his home.' She gestured around the room, when she said the last part.

'Are you enjoying it?'

'I'm amazed. In awe.'

He smirked again.

'Most of your traditions are the same. How about you? Have you been enjoying your Christmas so far?'

'This year has been better.'

'Better, but not good?' She sighed. 'I've noticed that everyone keeps their distance.'

'That's one way to put it.' He nodded, then took a deep breath.

Silence always made her nervous. 'Today, I've seen more miracles than I can count. If I could tell anyone about it, I'd never know where to start.' She laughed. 'At one point I bruised myself.' She lifted her arm to show the small bruise that formed there. 'I thought I was dreaming, so I pinched myself.'

Draco smiled at that.

'When I first saw the dragons I'd thought I lost my mind.'

'They are intimidating', Draco said. 'Potter—' He smirked, then rolled his eyes. 'Harry and Fluer each fought one in front of the entire school.'

Her eyes widened. 'Charlie said Harry was the dangerous sort.'

'You have no idea.'

'How long, have you two been together?'

Draco fought a smile, but lost as he answered her question. 'It was five years yesterday, actually.'

'Really?' They acted as though they'd only been together a few months. 'I'd love to hear that story.'

His face brightened.

'You don't tell that story very often, do you?'

'Never.' He shook his head. 'It's the only thing people don't want to know about Harry Potter.' After he set his drink down, he clasped his hands together. 'We met a week before school started and I tried to befriend him.'

'Tried?'

'He hated me.'

'Maggie', Ginny grabbed Maggie's arm and brought her to her feet, before she could protest. 'Come on, we're going to serve the cheesecake.'

'Oh, well—'

'No matter', Draco said. 'I'll tell you later.' His face lost all expression and he waved her off.

#

Hermione shifted her weight from her left foot to her right one, and then took her empty glass and left it in the sink. 'I don't know how they got together.'

'I think that they're the reason that Charlie is worried about telling his parents…' She closed her eyes and shook her head.

'Telling his parents about you?'

Maggie looked up startled. 'I shouldn't have said that.'

'Everyone has already guessed that you two are together.'

'No, I mean—we aren't. Come out as—I really shouldn't have said that.'

Hermione looked back down the hall and saw that Harry and Malfoy were headed back to the living room. Before they made the turn Harry pulled back on Malfoy's elbow. When he had Malfoy's attention, she saw him mouth "I love you."

'Oh', Hermione said. 'Charlie is—' Of course, why else would their relationship have anything to do with Charlie and Maggie's relationship? 'You've misunderstood. We don't have a problem with Harry being—'

'I know it's a little different, but look how in love and perfect they are together. If they can't even accept them when, Harry isn't even their son. How're they going to react to Charlie?'

Hermione blushed. 'It's not—' She understood why Maggie was being short and realized that her tone matched Hermione's when she was fighting for someone being discriminated against. It made her feel closer to Maggie and even a little bit ashamed of her own actions, but if she'd only let her explain.

'Did you notice that they are the only couple, that didn't sit next to each other at dinner?'

'They always do.'

'Probably, out of consideration for everyone else here. They had the most romantic exchange I've ever seen, in the middle of dinner, when no one was looking.'

'Really?' She couldn't imagine Malfoy being anything but stubborn, rude, and selfish.

'Harry was staring at Draco and when he looked Harry put his hand over his heart and smiled at him.' She smiled at the memory. 'Then, Draco did the same thing, it was like they were saying "I love you" to each other."

Hermione looked out to the living room where everyone was talking and laughing. Malfoy, once again, alone by the fire. Harry surrounded by Ron, Ginny and Bill glanced over at him every few seconds.

They did what Maggie had described they did at dinner, when Malfoy looked up and caught Harry's eye. She could see it in their eyes, just how much they loved each other. Malfoy spent his holidays in a room full of people that hated him, so that he could be with Harry. And Harry put up with everyone trying to pull him away from Malfoy. He'd rather deal with the fights it caused, whenever anyone brought it up, than have to live without Malfoy. Then there was Malfoy's family and how they probably felt about Harry.

Maggie took her glass and Hermione followed her in to join the rest in the living room. She sat down in the chair next to Malfoy, while Hermione stood by her side and leant against the chair. Ginny tried to call Maggie over to the other side of the room where she stood next to Harry.

'You promised to finish that story for me.'

Her dismissal of Ginny's call got their groups attention.

Malfoy smirked. 'Where was I?'

'Harry hated you.'

Hermione saw Harry grimace.

'Yes, well d'you know that we had a war?'

'Charlie mentioned a little bit about it, and how our world was effected by it.'

'It ended in a battle at the school we all went to, and we were all there.'

'Oh, you all fought in the war?' She looked around the room, and then glared at Charlie. 'You didn't tell me that.'

He shrugged and after her direct address to him, everyone else's attention turned to her and she waved Draco to continue.

'I'd just finished saying goodbye to my parents, and was on my way down to the dungeons, when I saw Potter.'

#

'Potter!'

Harry kept walking unaware of Malfoy behind him.

'Potter', Malfoy said. 'Could you give me a minute?'

Harry turned, more curious than angry, as well as worn and tired.

'What is it Malfoy?'

'I wanted to thank you.'

'You', Harry said. 'Wanted to thank me?'

'For saving my life', he said.

Harry stumbled through various confused expressions figuring out what to say. 'Oh, um, your welcome?'

'You didn't have to.' Potter had no reason to help him, yet he did. After his own friends turned their backs on him, he had to thank him.

'And you didn't deserve to die.' Potter shrugged and turned back to Gryffindor tower. 'Goodnight, Malfoy.'

'Wait!' It was out of his mouth, before he even registered why he wanted Potter to stay.

Harry sighed, rubbed his face and turned around. 'What?'

'I haven't properly thanked you.'

'That's fine you already said—'

Malfoy was kissed him. It was quick and simple; a soft and slow press of their lips and they both lingered there longer than they should have.

Draco pulled away first. 'Thank you, Harry.' He left him to catch his breath and headed down to the dungeons.

#

A few months later, Malfoy had his trial. His mother was there as well as Pansy, but Neville and Harry were a surprise. He knew that it was Harry's testimony, more than anyone else's, that got him off with probation. He had to meet with someone once a week for six months and talk. That was it. Afterwards, he shook Neville's hand and thanked him, then caught Harry down the hall.

'Why did you do it?'

Harry shrugged. 'All I did was tell the truth.'

'But you didn't have to.'

'And I didn't have to save your life, but it was the right thing to do.' He starred at Malfoy's mouth and chewed on his bottom lip.

'Thank you', Malfoy said. 'Again.'

Harry leaned toward him. 'Are you going to kiss me again?'

Malfoy shifted closer. 'Do you want me to?'

'That depends.'

'On?' Draco smirked and the first time, for Harry, it pleasant instead of annoying.

'Why you did it the first time?'

He could feel Harry's breath on his cheek, and his pulse speeded up causing him to sweat. If his mind had not been addled then, maybe, he might have been able to think up a lie.

'Because it is something I have always wanted to do.'

'Always?'

'Since the first day that I met you.' Draco confessed, and if felt a weight lift off of him. No matter how this ended, he was glad he let that secret go.

'Then what took you so long?' They could have had this? Instead of their years of fighting? He could have had his lips and tongue and… he didn't want to think of what else that they could have had.

'I was scared—' Like he was at that moment waiting for Harry's reaction. 'I'm not a Gryffindor.'

'Yes.'

'Yes?' He had to be sure he heard that right.

Harry nodded. 'I want you to kiss me again.'

He couldn't breathe. 'Right now?' His voice wavered, and his hands trembled. Harry wanted to kiss him.

'Do you know of a better time?'

Everyone from the courtroom had dispersed, so except his mother they were alone in the hallway. She was still waiting for him by the door and he glanced at her and then back at Harry.

'If you would rather not.'

'No', he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed Harry, before he had the chance to change his mind. That time Harry kissed back.

'I think, that was a little bit more, than a thank you.' Harry breathed out in an unsteady voice.

Draco kept eyes closed not wanting to let go of the moment. 'I thought you were with the sheweas—Ginevera?'

'I decided not to get back with her.'

'Why?' Draco opened his eyes.

'Because you kissed me—', Harry looked down at his feet and blushed. 'I—and I—decided not to.'

'What are you doing this weekend?'

'Nothing.'

'Will you meet me somewhere?'

Harry smiled and kissed Draco again. 'Anywhere.' They meet that weekend, and then every weekend after that.

#

'We continued to meet in secret at the Manor, whenever Harry could get away. Then on Christmas Eve, Harry made it official and gave me this ring.

Maggie's smile grew brighter. 'And that was five years ago?'

'Yes.'

'Oh, I love that story.'

Hermione was the first of the Weasely's to speak. 'What did your mother think about that?'

'At first', Malfoy said. 'She was worried about me getting hurt, but she said that I'm an adult and could make my own decisions.' After all, look at what listening to them got him. 'Besides, she liked Harry then, and she loves Harry now.'

Harry held a sleepy Teddy in his arms and walked over to where Draco was sitting. 'We should probably get going, Draco. It's getting late.' Which loosely translated into, "after hearing our story, I want to take you home and shag you senseless." The other couples with children agreed and joined them in retrieving their cloaks; everyone was lined around hugging and saying goodbye to Harry, whilst Draco stood idly by.

Maggie was the first to hug Draco and tell him goodbye, followed by Charlie shaking his hand. But what got everyone to stop and take notice was when Hermione wrapped her arms around him, whispered "thank you" in his ear. He was surprised, but accepted the embrace. Harry smiled as Maggie came up to him, and hugged him. She was the last to do so.

'Goodnight everyone and Happy Christmas.'

'Happy Christmas', Draco said and then they were gone with a pop.

Hermione turned to Maggie, before anyone else had the chance to leave.

'We were never against Harry being gay. I'm sorry that's what you thought.'

Charlie chuckled. 'Is that what you thought?'

'Well, it was the most obvious reason.'

'They don't like Malfoy, because he was on the opposite side of the war.'

'But, the war is over.'

He shook his head at her. 'I know that, for a lot of people it is hard to get over.' Nothing was ever that simple. Percy was part of their family and he still wasn't forgiven by all of them. 'Listen', he paused and looked around the room, not sure if, he was ever going to be ready for this. 'Everyone, I know this is probably a bad time to do this.'

'I think', Maggie said. 'It's the perfect time.'

Hermione blushed as everyone else's expressions showed excitement.

Charlie stepped away from Maggie. 'I know that you all are hoping that Maggie and I are together.'

Andromeda, George, Bill, Arthur, and Angela's faces fell. Everyone one else lost the meaning of his statement.

He took a deep breath. 'But we're not, and we never will be.'

George smirked and nodded his head, which earned him a elbow to his gut from Angela.

'I'm gay', Charlie said.