hogwartsexpressed | Nightmares & Revelations (CLOSED

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Nightmares & Revelations (CLOSED - for Hermione & Draco)

A lot had changed since the end of the war. Harry hadn't gone back to Ginny as so many had assumed and they were both okay with that. More than okay, if he was honest. The only one who hadn't taken it so well... okay, the only two people who hadn't taken it so well were Molly and Ron. To them, they were supposed to be this giant happy Weasley family and well, Hermione and he had other aspirations.

After those months in the tent, after Ron had left them, Hermione and he had discussed their hopes, their dreams, their fears and even shared each other's beds. After the war, they hadn't let themselves or each other simply settle for the Ministry or to just get married and start having a family. They wanted and needed something bigger, where they could do more to the benefit of their society.

He had of course told Ron that nothing happened and to this day, he wasn't sure why he had insisted that nothing happened - maybe to make everyone else happy? But after it was all said and done, he knew how pointless that had been. Not only had their society changed but they had changed.

Hogwarts would always be his first home but neither of them felt ready to return to the scene of the war. Perhaps that was putting it nicely. They were done with the manipulations from Dumbledore and knew Hogwarts would only bring up bad thoughts and memories for the both of them. Instead, they had been approached by the International Confederation of Wizards to join their next recruiting class. It would be hard work, they were told, but they were used to that. After Hermione found her parents and returned their memories, they accepted the position and headed to Rome, much to Ron's disappointment and dismay.

They'd went in on a three bedroom flat of a wizarding world apartment complex, it wasn't as if Harry was hurting for money after the will reading of Sirius and his parents (whose had been buried intentionally by Dumbledore) and taking up his lordship. They had assumed they would use the other room for an office but when they met their fellow recruits, they realized there was likely another reason for it. They hadn't been the only ones from Britain to be approached by the ICW, imagine their surprise when Draco Malfoy had shown up that first day. Not only that, but in their training exercises, the three of them had been paired up a number of times and surprisingly (and unsurprisingly) enough... they worked really well together. It didn't take Hermione and him long to approach Draco about moving into the third bedroom.

The more surprising part was that he'd accepted.

It had been just over five months since Draco had moved in with them and he could honestly say they were starting to make headway.

It was just Harry's luck that the night Hermione was out of town working on assignment was the night he had his first nightmare since before they came to Rome. It was as it always was - Sirius' death, Voldemort's annoying monstrous face and Dumbledore's ever present manipulations - losing everything he loved and cared for. What he didn't know was that he was screaming, tossing and turning in his bed and his magic getting a little bit (a lot) out of control. Normally, Hermione was home and would be alerted the moment his magic got loose or that he was having a nightmare. But tonight, he was on his own. Or he might've been had the silencing spells on his room not broken on the onslaught of his magic, alerting Draco to the situation at hand.

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While the end of the war, and the end of Voldemort, had been freeing for many, it had changed Draco's life in entirely different ways. He had taken it as his chance for freedom, and when he had been approached in those days after his father was imprisoned, he had left Britain.

Going to the ICW when they offered hadn't even been a question. He had taken the chance in an instant. Seeing Granger and Potter across the room had been terrifying, even if he had fought not to show it. He didn't believe the ICW didn't know the wizard he had been in school, but they could reveal so much to everyone there.

And yet they didn't.

Then it was being British that drew them together, being the kids that had waged a war and won. It drew them together. What had been an uneasy truce was becoming a friendship.

Then Draco wakes up to screaming and things flying around his room and he grabs up his wand and runs for Harry's room, positive he's being attacked.

Instead he finds him asleep, thrashing in his bed and Draco wordlessly flings things out of his way as he dives to kneel beside Harry's bed.

"Potter," he snarls, a hint of the past in that word, shaking him without touching him, not even bringing his wand to play. His wordless spells are growing, something Granger has been helping him with, and he's using them now without even thinking about it. "Potter!"

It was absolutely unintentional when Harry's arm came close to hitting him and still not waking up. Harry had gotten better with occlumency and now had a pretty decent mental landscape that kept a lot of it out. That was in part the ICW's training and Draco - he was able to break it down much better than Snape ever had. It likely said a lot about how worn out he'd been from that days training session that he'd lowered them simply out of exhaustion.

Still, the screaming continued and the magic kept throwing items against the wall. It was only thanks to the war level wards around their flat that kept others in the building from being aware.

His back arched off the bed, twisting his hands in the sheets as he yelled for Sirius, yelled at the Dursleys and Voldemort... and called Dumbledore a dozen of choice words and all he could hear with Voldemorts twisted laughter.

Draco ducks, wincing as he nearly slams his head against the table by the bed. The magic around them is wild, he can feel it down to the marrow of his bones. It's chaotic and immense, and he is suddenly thankful for the kind of wards Potter knew in avoiding Voldemort.

Which is when he realizes what he has to do.

For the same reasons, he's been getting better and better at legilimency, strengthening it in helping Harry with his occulemency. His mother had ensured he was strong in both, to save his life. He hasn't let others know how strong he is in it, but Harry and Hermione know.

And so he uses that to go into Harry's mind.

"Potter!" He hollers for him as he enters his mindscape, something that is as dangerous and chaotic as the bedroom. Drawing his magic up, he centers himself near Potter and then casts out a bubble through which nothing can get through. No laughter. No voices. Nothing but the two of them.

Later, after Harry had a moment to be embarrassed after waking up, he’d apologise for any damages done to Draco from his magic. And although it was chaotic, his magic was making some sort of effort to not directly hit Draco. At the moment though, he was just trying to wake himself up and survive his fucking subconscious. How many more times would he have to confront his past? The Dursleys. Voldemort. Dumbledore. Sirius' death.

In the distance, he could hear someone screaming his name and it didn’t sound like anyone in his dream - surely not Dumbledore who stood there with his damn twinkling eyes. It sounded -- fuck, it sounded like Draco.

Then it was quiet. Much quieter thanks to the bubble Draco had erected around them as he suddenly stood there next to him. Harry frowned and looked at him. “You haven’t been in my dreams for a while - certainly not in a nightmare.” That meant... “Fuck, do not tell me that you're actually here. Did I wake you?”

Edited (SORRY WANTED TO ADD MORE.) 2020-03-22 03:30 (UTC)

It's a rough spell, something that would cut off anything in or out, enough he can try and calm Harry. It's something he had erected outside of dreams to protect himself and his mother many times when they were running. That was before the ICW approached him and offered them sanctuary.

Now it was benefiting him in helping Harry as well, and he's glad for it.

"Oh? I've been in your dreams before, Potter?" He smirks at that, arching a brow at him. "You should share those details," he teases, trying to distract him from how bad those dreams were. He knew how nightmares could be.

"Oh, definitely woke me. Those wards of yours are the only reason you haven't woken up everyone in the building. Luckily I'm better at getting into minds than you are in keeping me out."

Harry took a moment to look around his dreamscape and exhaled a breath when he no longer saw the Dursley's or Voldemort or fucking Dumbledore. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing in slowly. He chuckled suddenly when Draco asked if he'd been in his dreams and raised his gaze to the other man's. "You've always been a pain in my arse," he teased him with a grin, take that as you will Draco. "But maybe later I will share those dreams."

"And you thought the wards were too much," he muttered with a little smile then looked around again, finding his mindscape clearing of the nightmare fully now that Draco was there. "It sounds like my magic broke through the silencing and warding charms around my room too. Damn, it's been a while since that's happened," Harry muttered with an exhale.

He knew why his mind wasn't keeping Draco out. His magic already trusted the other man on some level. Though, he wasn't willing to put that into words just yet.

"Sorry. For waking you. And hopefully not hurting you with my magic..."

It's not always part of Draco to be calming, to offer a comfort to someone that has been through all that Harry has been through. But Harry has been there for Draco in the last few months, letting the past stay where it is and not holding it against him. For that he'll keep trying to do all he can for Harry.

And not just to torment him for that slip of tongue.

"I think you're talking more about wanting me to be a pain in your arse, but I don't think you're ready for that, Potter," he says, sounding like himself. Even if there's a lot of concern in the look he gives to Harry, worrying about him. Even if he won't admit that.

"I don't think it broke past the apartment though, so least I'm the only one that heard you shrieking and got things thrown at them." Smirking as he waves hand to dismiss it all.

"Don't be sorry. Are you actually okay? I mean, we can stay here, for now. If you think that will help."

Harry knew the moment he'd seen Draco's face back at Malfoy manor when he hadn't given him away though he was sure Draco recognized him for who he was, that Draco had changed. Having Tom Riddle in your home tormenting your mother and yourself (as well as muggles and other 'undesirables') would certainly do that. It was why he had let it slip unknowingly in front of some key people at the ICW that Draco needed a fresh shot, somewhere that wasn't Britain.

He opened his mouth, about to spout off something sassy in his typical fashion but then he shook his head. "No, probably not right at this moment," he agreed with a wry smile. Harry saw the concerned look Draco was giving him and bit back the urge to shrug it off and make light of it or hide away. He'd had years of people pitying him or demonizing him but this didn't feel like that. There wasn't malice there. Simply concern and that was relatively new coming from the Malfoy heir.

"Oh good. That at means the war wards held," he nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose, thankful that he and Hermione and taught themselves that during their time on the run. "It could've been worse... least no fires were started or something even more unusual."

Not that he'd ever done that at all.

He paused and tilted his head. "Not really but it won't do either of us any good to stay in here," he said, deciding to be truthful. He knew the look he'd get from Hermione if he tried to pass it off. "Let's wake up... make some hot chocolate or open that bottle of whiskey," he suggested and took another slow look around his mental landscape before turning to look at Draco once more. "Thank you."

They've both been through hell, since the day of their birth really. Just differing types of insanity, differing types of abuse, but in the end they had both turned their back on that, claimed their own lives. This was them in their own world, working together rather than fighting against one another.

He isn't expecting the serious response to that tease, so when Harry gives one, he can't help but grin. "Your girlfriend though, she could handle it," he says, breaking the tension but he knows Harry won't look at him askew for that. He's been good with them, protective and respectful.

"Wait, wait. Are fires a thing I should have been warned about?" Shaking his head, giving Harry a hard look. "I should have been warned about this thing that I totally knew was a problem," he says, tapping his temple. "I've fucked with your head enough times in training that I saw..." He waves his hand, indicating all of this.

"And you're welcome. We'll work on an idea for a stronger ward later," he says with a nod, and with it the wards fade and so does Draco from Harry's dreamscape and mind.

It took a long time for Harry to get to the point where he's at - where he was able to actually make his own decisions and moves without it being questioned every single second by either his relatives or the media. It was absolutely freeing.

Harry chuckled at the response and sent him an amused smirk. "She could and would, no doubt about it," he agreed, thankful that Draco had taken their situation so well. If only because he and Hermione had agreed that they both fancied the blond. Though, he was sure Hermione would insist that he'd always had a bit of an obsession when it came to Draco.

He laughed and shook his head at Draco's good natured snark and the hard look he sent him. "You saw a lot," he agreed with a nod. Draco had seen a lot... honestly, more than anyone else other than Hermione and that was simply because of how long she'd been his friend - the one constant.

"Agreed," he said and watched as Draco faded from his dreamscape. He took one last look around and felt himself start to wake up. He groaned at the tenseness in his body, the soreness that came from his muscles tightening and releasing, "bloody fuck," he muttered before starting to sit up. It took only a second but he could tell that the war level wards surrounding the flat had held up and for that he was grateful. It wasn't something he'd want to explain even to the witches and wizards living in their complex. "While the main wards held strong, mine were shredded," he grumbled, his voice hoarse from the screaming. Honestly, he wasn't that surprised since he'd been in that dream and knew how his magic would have responded to all three.

Draco knew that once they invited him to stay with them that they accepted that he would see a lot of their lives. Not just how they work, but the rest of it as well. Their relationship, the downsides to all they've been through. Such as Harry's nightmares.

They trusted him, and that meant a lot to him. Not just that the council did but that Harry and Hermione did.

When Harry wakes, Draco is standing in the corner, watching as he goes through the wards. "I'm going to go start some coffee and heat up those sconce we had. Meet me in the living room and we'll discuss ways to help you."

Or just have comfort food and coffee, since he suspects they both need it.

Much like anyone else, their home was their sanctuary. It was the one place where they didn't have to pretend to be anyone else but who they were. For Harry, that was all true of course but even more... it was the first real place he could ever truly call his. It was their's obviously but still. It wasn't willed to him, it wasn't a school... it was their home and to invite Draco Malfoy into that meant that they trusted him to see every bit of who they were.

Although one of their tutors/instructors told them they worked as well as an 'well oiled machine', he was glad that it transferred outside of training simulations. When Draco gave him space after he woke up to make coffee and heat up some comfort food, whether deliberate or not, it made Harry realize just how in tune they all were with one another. It was a little thing perhaps but unlike others in his life before, he wasn't being coddled or told to get over it (or throwing a fit that Harry interrupted their sleep again).

He took a minute to listen to his magic as it hummed along his body and exhaled a slow breath. Harry rolled from bed, changed out of his boxers into a pair of loose fitting exercise pants and walked into the living room, settling onto one side of the couch, taking a quick look at the time. It wasn't even near sunrise yet. "The worst part of these dreams is the timing," he muttered, knowing he wouldn't be getting back to sleep for a while.

They had been caught up in a war where they had to come together, even when they thought they were on opposite sides of the war. Now though Draco finds comfort in working with Harry and Hermione. They know his worst, and they know his best, and he doesn't have to be anyone else but himself when he's with them. At work, or at home.

And this is their home. He never had that. He had his parents' home, and Hogwarts. This is the place he chose to be, where he wants to be.

No use of magic here. Working on things by hand. He had grown up in that house where magic was nearly everything. So instead he did it all by hand, setting the percolator to brew and putting the sconce in the oven as he gets out clotted cream and ham.

He laughs though at that comment. "Well, I mean, if you can schedule them more conveniently, I'm all for it."

Although they were well into adulthood now and had fought (and won) a blood war, and they had full access to their magic (and could even use it in their home), he had grown up in a muggle home (as disfunctional as it was) and Harry still found things that he preferred to do the muggle way. Imagine his surprise the first time Draco made the decision to not use magic when doing something. It had honestly surprised both of them.

He chuckled and reached over for his book he'd been reading the night before, Advanced Ruins and Arithmancy and opening it up. "You and me both, it's downright irritating," he said, glancing over the section he'd been on before shutting it and setting it aside again.

He stood from the couch and walked into the open kitchen then leaned against the counter.

"I didn't intend to ruin your beauty sleep," he said with a teasing smile, watching Draco move around the kitchen. It was... charming, actually.

It had taken him so much to learn how to do things he knows muggle kids take for granted. It's what bothered him so much. How could they act so superior when they didn't even know how to use a coffee maker. He's been working hard to learn all of those things, and he's aiming to learn to drive a car soon.

Or a motorcycle.

Glancing back at that comment, smirking at Harry. "Are you really looking at me and thinking I look like I've lost any beauty?" Wearing black silk flowey bottoms and a matching black tee, he looks pale and casual and ethereal. If he did say so himself.

Harry had come to realize over the years that he was most definitely bisexual. It was why he was not at all shy about that. He took a moment to look the other man over before shaking his head with a chuckle. "No, not at all," he said with an amused smirk before walking over to the cupboard and taking down his favorite mug. "You've always been frustratingly attractive."

While Draco was decked out in a matching silk sleep set, Harry was thankful that he remembered to put on actual lounge pants but left off the shirt. His body already ran much hotter than it used to (due to the malnutrition). "Hermione will be upset that she missed the midnight scones," he mused with a little smile.

They each had their particular skill set when it came to cooking. Although he had been forced to cook for his relatives all those years ago, Harry found joy in cooking. Now that he could actually eat what he made and share it with Hermione and Draco. That wasn't to say that he wasn't opposed to bonding with a house elf in the future but it would have to be a consensus and a special circumstance.

Edited 2020-03-31 17:36 (UTC)

"Frustratingly so?" He smirks at that, looking smug and amused to hear it. "You talk about dreaming about me and I'm the frustrating one? Tease," he says with a small smile as he gets out a small bowl of sugar cubes and then a small pitcher of cream he'd charged to never go bad. He might not rely on magic, but he recognized it's uses.

"And I will be nice enough to make them for her when she gets home. If she runs about half dressed as well," he teases, definitely playing now. In part because it just feels good to have people in his life he can joke with, and in part to try and distract Potter from his nightmares.

If some of the flirtatiousness was just being glad to flirt with Potter, well then so be it.

"It really isn't right, you know," he said, sending him an amused smirk. "Even when we were teens, at each other's throats, you were annoyingly attractive." He shook his head and walked over to him, pouring a cup of coffee for himself and adding just a little cream and sugar. "I will try not to be offended that I haven't been in your dreams," he teased him and brought the mug up to his mouth before taking a sip.

Teasing and joking were nice, especially when it kept the memories of the nightmares at bay for the moment. He'd have to think about them eventually but for the moment, he was glad to have the reprieve. "If she's offered midnight scones, she might do it too," he said with a laugh and leaned against the counter, watching Draco for the moment.

They had discussed it days before they invited him to move in about how they both found him attractive. They might've even brought it up a few times in between then to gauge each other's interest. Needless to say, they were both rather attracted to him but they hadn't been completely sure what he thought about the entire situation. Triads weren't very uncommon in their world, thankfully, but they also weren't the most common either. At this point in their lives, Harry didn't have to defend his love life to anyone so he wasn't worried about what anyone might say. He would only hope, if it came to it, that Narcissa was okay with it. With them.

"It's always been one of my best weapons," he says, smoothing a hand over his hair and giving Harry a smoldering look that is one part amusing and most certainly meant to be intoxicating at the same time. He knows he's good looking, and now he knows that Potter has always been aware of that. How can he not use it to his advantage now?

Checking on the scones, Draco moves to get a mug before turning to face Harry. He gives him the most innocent of smiles, eyes wide, looking as positively bright and youthful as he can manage. "What have I ever said that made you think I have never had dreams about you? I mean, we've known each other nearly a decade, haven't we? I've seen you in all manners of dress and undress, and wet even," he says, his gaze raking over Harry slowly, teasingly, taking his time before he reaches past him for the pot to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Well then good. Maybe then I'll tell her about the dreams I've had about her. Even after she broke my nose," he says, cupping the mug in both hands. "Made me scared of her but then that's kind of sexy too," he admits.

Harry wasn't at all surprised to learn that Draco used it to his best advantage. After all, it was a very Slytherin thing to do, if you asked him. His mouth curled up into an amused smirk but couldn't deny that it was down right attractive. But, if he were honest, Harry simply thought Draco was attractive in general and had for a long time. "Oh everyone is aware of that fact. Part of our training class is well aware," he teased him.

He knew he had grown more attractive over the years but that was due to finally getting his body right after the years of abuse from the Dursley's and getting his eye sight fixed. It had taken some work (and the war) but with the training, he was seeing some vast improvement. "Now who's the tease," he asked with a roguish grin, leaning back against the counter and watched Draco look him over. He took a moment to slowly take in all of Draco's features and hummed. He was pleased to know that Draco had dreams of him, if his words were anything to go by.

"That's part of her charm," he chuckled. "She's beautiful when she gets riled up." Hermione was due back later that morning (once the sun was actually up), so long as everything went according to plan. He could only imagine she may be pleased to know about this midnight conversation. Maybe not the reason for said midnight conversation but to find out that Draco was attracted to both of them just as they were attracted to him. But it was too soon for any sort of deep conversation about that.

He knew he owed Draco some kind of answer or explanation about this... but he wasn't sure where to even start. The teasing and the flirting were easier subjects to handle... deep conversation at one in the morning was less so.

When you're of Veela descent, born into a pureblood family of wizarding "royalty" and then raised Slytherin to boot, you learn quickly that being pale and fae and delicate is an advantage. One he's used in Hogwarts, and beyond it as well. And one that, at least for fun, he isn't above using on Harry now either.

He glances at Harry, arching a brow. "Are you talking about me and that beautiful wizard from Bulgaria that were caught in the broom closet? I can't help that dark, brooding thing was delightful."

Or that Draco had used open flirtations and that veela beauty to lure him into a trap during training either. It's that teasing that had led to closet, but then his commander had taken him out of training. Draco had been congratulated on luring him in and it's when he realized the world around him wanted him to use his beauty as a weapon as well.

"Teasing is my second best weapon," he points out, grinning then as he got his coffee ready, turning to face Harry and leaning back, mirroring him, watching him.

He laughs though about Hermione. "That is the truth, isn't it?" He smirks. "You know, we should not tell her about this and then just start making out in front of her. Just to see her face."

And there he goes using his beauty and sexuality as a weapon, of sorts.

At the ICW, one thing you were taught early on was to use every skill at your disposal to get your mark or complete a job. For Draco, his allure and flirtation was simply part of who he was and could be used to his full advantage whenever he wanted. It wasn't the allure that drew Harry to him, it was something else all together. But he wouldn't deny that the man was bloody attractive. He chuckled at the response and allowed himself an amused grin. "Word has it even he couldn't be completely upset after taken out - he'd known better."

Harry brought the mug up to his mouth to take a sip of the coffee. It seemed shallow almost that beauty and appeal could be used as a weapon but humans (wizards and muggles alike) had always used beauty as a weapon for centuries. Although Harry didn't have Draco's veela blood and beauty, he did the same - used his attractive features to his advantage when it suited him.

He chuckled and hummed at the thought. There was no doubt he really wanted to make out with Draco. But he respected Hermione and simply wouldn't do that to her. They were connected more than they'd ever let on to anyone before. "Oh she'll know," he said with an amused smirk. "She always seems to know when something happens. Besides. She'll want in on the action."

He tilted his head. "So, be honest - how interested are you in perhaps joining us?"

"How could he be? Trust me. I'm more than just a pretty face." Though that's alluding to other, physical charms as well. It's not as if he's spent any time since puberty alone, and without companions if he'd wanted them. It's just that he hasn't been with two that he's considered spending time with, and both of them live in this house.

One thing Draco has learned though in the wizarding world is that there is much more to magic and life than his wizarding skills. Working for the ICW, that means using all of them that he can, and all that he can use against dark wizards and those that help them is important.

Draco laughs at that. "Why am I not surprised? Brightest witch of her age is an understatement and most haven't done anything to try and strip that title from her.

Draco falls quiet for a moment, considering that question. He sips his coffee, watching Potter as he does. "I guess it would depend on what you both have in mind. Joining you in bed? More than that? Just when we're all together, or exploring more than sexual. I suppose it depends on what you both have in mind."

"You're definitely more than just a pretty face," Harry agreed, meaning even more than physical and beauty. Having gone to school together and been each other's throats as often as they were, the man was intelligent (even with Harry's 'good word', the ICW would have made sure Draco could handle it) and sharp.

Harry sat down his coffee mug and took down a water glass before filling it. He sent Draco an amused look before taking a long drink of his water then setting that one down next to the mug. "She won't say it but she does enjoy the title," he said with a chuckle. "No one has come close to her brilliance at least in recent years."

He tilted his head and watched Draco closely, taking in the little tells that the Slytherin let slip. "In bed, out of bed...," he said after a moment. "It's a conversation we'd have to wait to fully have with Hermione but we're interested in exploring a relationship that's more than simply sexual. Wouldn't have to rush into it of course..."

"You would know," he says, because all of those years of being at one another's throat meant they had watched each other closely and learned a lot. It's all of that which brought them to where they are now, he's certain of that. Just as he had learned so much of Harry during that time. It benefited them both in the long run. Being here, in this apartment and in the life he's in, he believes that.

Laughing though when he says that about Hermione. "No one has touched her ability since we were at Hogwarts. I don't think anyone has since..." He stops, looking down and then up. "Well, to hear others tell it, not since your mother. And not just witches either, but I think they look at wizards differently," he says, nose wrinkling a bit.

He's spent a lot of time focusing on all of the changes he's seen, and the things that hadn't changed that so many ignored.

Draco falls silent then, considering what Harry is telling him. He snorts softly before taking a sip. "I... I honestly didn't expect that." He's used to being a pretty face, even if he's sure his roommates know more of him than that. He still didn't expect it. "You're right, we should discuss that with Hermione as well."

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