Part Three
Going Out and Going Public
“I want to come out.”
Harry was startled by Draco’s words and he looked down at the other boy, who was tracing lazy circles on Harry’s chest.
“What?” Harry said.
Draco lifted his head so that he could look at Harry. “I want to come out. To tell the world about us. My father is dead, Voldemort is dead – there is nothing to fear anymore.”
Harry didn’t answer. Draco was right; there was nothing to fear, no big threats anymore like there had been all of their lives before. Yet something said stop – a nervousness, a fear, in his mind. He could picture Ron when Harry told him that not only was he gay, but he was also dating none other than the Death Eater turned spy, Draco Malfoy.
“Harry?”
Draco looked concerned. Harry shook his head and raked a hand through his hair.
“I— I don’t know, Draco,” he said. “We haven’t even been together that long and—”
“Are you ashamed of us?” Draco looked saddened as he said the words.
“No, no,” Harry reassured him quickly. “I just— I don’t know what my friends will say.”
“Oh,” Draco said. “Granger and the Weasel.”
“Don’t call him that,” Harry said, a bit irritated. Then he added softly, “Please.”
Draco nodded. “All right, Granger and Weasley. But Harry, sooner or later, they will find out. Hell, I’ll be surprised if Granger doesn’t already know – she was the one who pushed us together to begin with.”
“Hermione isn’t who I’m worried about,” Harry said quietly, sinking back into the mattress.
“No, I figured she wasn’t,” Draco said. He sighed. “Weasley will have to accept it, Harry. If he doesn’t – well, then you might have to choose between him and me.”
The last words were said quietly, with Draco looking away. Harry reached out and pulled him close, kissing him soundly with as much reassurance as he could muster.
“I don’t ever want to choose between him and you,” Harry said when they broke apart. “Please don’t make me; he’s my best friend.”
Draco smiled slightly and rested his head on Harry’s chest again. “I won’t Harry, I promise. I can’t promise the same for Weasley, though.”
Harry swallowed, fully aware that Ron could make such a demand; that Harry chose either Draco or Ron.
Lazily petting Draco’s hair, Harry felt himself calming down. The minutes ticked by and Harry felt himself drift off to sleep again.
“Harry?” Draco’s tone was a bit sleepier now.
“Yes?” Harry said, not opening his eyes.
“What do you say we come out during the graduation ceremony?”
This made Harry wake up. “What?”
Draco sat up and smirked down at Harry. “It would serve a lot of purposes, really. It means Weasley can’t yell at you – until afterwards, that is – because there’ll be a whole lot of other people around. And we won’t have to go through the ‘coming out’ conversation more than once – there will be papers and everything documenting the graduation ceremony of Harry Potter. The whole world would know in one smooth move.”
“And you think that’s a good thing?” Harry nearly yelled at him.
Draco shrugged. “It’s as good a thing as any.”
Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “You’re insane.”
“And proud of it,” Draco nodded.
Harry fell silent. Coming out during the graduation ceremony? Had his boyfriend gone completely around the bend? His friends would be mad at him forever for not telling them first – on the other hand, they would be mad no matter what, considering his choice of boyfriend. But the press would know, which meant the world would know. Of course, as soon as Lavender Brown found out – and she would, eventually – the whole school would know and then the world would know anyway. The graduation ceremony was supposed to be about Hogwarts, though – not about Harry Potter’s sexual orientation. Yet Harry had a feeling that this year’s ceremony would be a lot more about Harry Potter The Boy Who Defeated Voldemort than about anything else, so perhaps taking away from that theme wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Harry sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was even considering this.
“So what do you say?” Draco asked.
Harry squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” he said. “But all right.”
Normally, the graduation ceremony was a very small ceremony during which a couple of students and one or two of the teachers gave speeches, and then each graduate would get a magical parchment that said that he or she was now officially a witch or wizard. Then the choir performed a song or two, the parents applauded and the party in the Great Hall started.
This year, Harry Potter graduated and thus everything was different.
The stands were filled to the brim with people, many of them witches and wizards that had absolutely nothing to do with the students graduating. They had come for one reason – to see Harry Potter graduate. The press was there, ready with large cameras, quills and many feet of parchment. Every single student from sixth year down to first was present.
Harry stood next to Draco inside Hogwarts, looking out through a window at all the people waiting down on the fields.
“This is insane!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. “Last year’s ceremony was nothing like this.”
“Duh,” Draco said, rolling his eyes at Harry. He walked up to Harry and fixed his robes.
“Thanks,” Harry said distractedly, looking out the window again.
“Love, don’t mind them,” Draco said, placing a pale hand on Harry’s cheek. He forced Harry to look at him. “Do you hear me? Don’t mind them. They’re all stupid anyway.”
Harry smiled slightly at them. “Not all of them. The Weasleys are down there too. They’re nice. And Hermione’s parents should be nice, though I’ve never met them.”
Draco shook his head at him, smiling fondly. “All right, so not all of them. But most.”
Harry nodded. “Most.”
“Harry?”
“Yes?” Harry looked down at Draco, who seemed suddenly uncertain. “What is it?”
“You haven’t changed your mind, right? About going public, I mean,” Draco said.
Harry reached out and pulled Draco close. He shook his head. “No, I haven’t. As insane as the idea is, we are going public today. After this day, there will be no more hiding in classrooms and broom closets.”
Draco grinned. “Though the broom closets have their charm.”
“What kind?” Harry asked. “That they’re impossibly small, dusty and dark?”
“Well, when you put it like that, nothing’s going to sound good,” Draco said, his grin becoming wider. “Love you.”
Harry kissed Draco. He would never get tired of the feeling of the other boy’s lips against his own, the other’s warm tongue playing with his. When they broke apart, Harry whispered, “Love you, too. Let’s go.”
There was a deafening roar of applause and whistles when Harry walked onto the field to sit down at his spot. Harry didn’t know what to do with himself; he thought the whole thing was embarrassing and he looked down at his hands, trying to ignore the sounds of the audience. Hermione patted his knee gently and Draco glanced at him. They were all in the front row since they were all going to speak.
Dumbledore stood up and held his hands up to the audience, silencing them effectively.
“Welcome, class of 1998, to your graduation ceremony,” he said. He paused and smiled at them. “You are a very special class – one that has survived many obstacles and losses, and yet you all find it in you to love and cherish life and each other. It is truly remarkable. However, today is your day and I am not going to stand here and take up the time that is rightfully yours. Therefore I would instead like to invite the Head Girl and this year’s best student, Hermione Granger, to the stage.”
Hermione smiled and stood up, taking the stage and performing a Sonorous charm. Her voice travelled over the fields as she began speaking. Harry had heard her speech before; she’d practiced it with him the night before, wondering if it was good enough. Harry had told her that it was more than good enough – in fact, she was making him feel a bit unsure about his own speech. She’d giggled and said he’d do just fine.
Harry wrung his hands nervously. Perhaps admitting to the world that he was gay and that he loved Draco Malfoy during the graduation ceremony wasn’t the best of ideas?
Draco reached over and squeezed Harry’s hand briefly, whispering, “It’ll be fine. Just don’t forget to breathe.”
Harry chuckled nervously.
He applauded as he was supposed to when Hermione’s speech was over, though he hadn’t heard much of it.
“And now that we’ve heard the Head Girl, it’s no more than fair that we invite our Head Boy to the stage,” Dumbledore said, motioning at Draco. “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Draco Malfoy.”
“Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore,” Draco said graciously, taking the stage. Turning to the audience, he said, “I will be honest and say that I don’t have all that much to say today. My class sitting here today is proof enough of everything that has happened the last few months – not just the bad, but not just the good either. There should have been many more smiling faces sitting here today. People dragged from life far too early; there is no saying how unfair life can be at times. Why some people live and others die.
“Yet here we sit, waiting for the new life that is just around the corner. A life that we all hope will include love, family, opportunities and great experiences. Because no matter how much we have seen, we still believe that there is good in this world, good that is worth protecting, keeping, cherishing.”
Draco paused and looked straight at Harry. “Now I would like to invite the next speaker to the stage: Mr. Harry Potter.”
There was another roar of applause and Harry wondered why they were cheering for him – they should be cheering for Draco. Harry hadn’t so much as opened his mouth yet; he’d just entered the fields and sat down on a chair.
Draco performed the Sonorous charm on Harry and he said, nervously, “Thank you.”
Draco smiled at him and Harry felt the love and the warmth surrounding him. It didn’t make the nervousness disappear, but it made it bearable.
He took a wrinkled piece of parchment out of a pocket in his robes. “Class of 1998, parents, friends and press,” he said. “I am honoured to be standing here today, as a representative of my class. Like the Headmaster, my good friend Hermione and Draco here have all said before me, it is an amazing class that is graduating today. I don’t know all of you personally, but I have still shared classes with most of you. I have learned as much from you as I have from this school’s Professors – whether good or bad, I won’t say.” A low chuckle spread through the audience and Hermione smiled at him.
“I came into the Wizarding world at age eleven, knowing nothing about my family, about magic. Hogwarts has since been one long adventure, with more than a few life or death situations, and many great memories. Quidditch matches, Transfigurations homework, Potions essays – the list goes on and on. Yet though many have whined a great deal about these things, I think I speak for us all when I say that we have enjoyed our time here immensely.
“Now we head on into the ‘real world’, so to speak. A world outside the protective wards of Hogwarts, a world where there is no homework, but instead there is real work. A world where we all hope to find new friends – though you shouldn’t forget your old ones – entertaining jobs and great experiences and I hope, I really do hope, that every single person here finds what they are looking for.
“And finally I hope,” Harry said, swallowing nervously and putting away the parchment, “that you will all find what I have already found. I hope you all find love.”
Then he turned around and smiled at Draco. Taking a single step, Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and kissed him soundly. He kept his eyes closed, thinking only about Draco’s lips and Draco’s body against him, refusing to acknowledge the staring students and audience.
When Draco finally pulled away, he whispered, “Well, now that that’s done…”
Harry grinned slightly. He turned around and looked at the shocked faces. It was completely quiet; most had their mouths hanging half-open. Only Hermione, Snape and, of course, Professor Dumbledore, looked anything other than shocked. Hermione was smiling, Snape was scowling and Professor Dumledore’s eyes twinkled brightly.
“And that concludes my speech,” Harry said. “I hope everyone has a great time at the graduation party tonight.”
At those words, everyone seemed to wake from their stupor. Every single person started talking; the press started yelling questions at them and others were whispering, or screaming, to each other. Harry took Draco’s hand and they walked down from the stage to sit in their seats again.
Hermione smiled at him. “Not unexpected news, but an unexpected way to do it, that’s for sure,” she said.
When Dumbledore finally managed to get the crowd under control, they started handing out the magical documents that told each student that he or she was now legally a wizard or witch, allowed to perform magic outside of Hogwarts. Parents and friends all paid attention to this, but the press would have continued to yell questions at Harry and Draco, if not for the silencing charm Dumbledore had cast on them. Now they sat in their corner of the stands, looking wholly unhappy.
Harry got the piece of parchment in his hand, feeling the magic surround him. He was legally a wizard now. He could do magic outside of school without having to worry about being thrown out. He could go to the Dursleys and do magic on them, though the Ministry would probably frown on it.
A wide smile spread over his face with these thoughts. He looked over at Draco and saw him looking equally happy. Hermione was, for once, nearly unable to contain her excitement.
“We’re legal!” she squealed happily. “Can you believe it?”
Harry hugged her and then Draco, kissing him again without caring about the cameras that went off.
The party in the Great Hall was fabulous. Food of all kinds were on the tables, which were lined up along the walls, creating a free space in the middle where everyone could dance. There was a band on the stage and everyone was enjoying themselves.
Harry stood next to Draco, watching everyone else.
“Happy now?” Harry asked, turning to Draco.
Draco smiled at him. “Yes.”
Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and kissed him, smiling.
“Ahem.”
Harry broke away to see Ron looking at them. Harry pulled further away from Draco to look uncertainly at Ron, though he held onto Draco’s hand. Ron’s expression was unreadable, something that was very unusual.
“Hi,” Harry said quietly, hesitantly.
“Hey,” said Ron, looking down. “I just thought I’d say – well, congratulations. And— it was a good speech.”
Harry just barely stopped himself from staring at Ron. “You— you’re okay with it? This?”
Ron’s eyes flitted from Harry to Draco. “I’m not— happy about it.”
“You don’t have to be,” Harry assured him quickly. “Just so long as you’re not angry.”
“I’m not,” Ron said. He did look distinctively uncomfortable, however. “I— I’ll talk to you later.”
Ron made a hasty retreat, disappearing into the crowd. Harry stared after him.
Draco squeezed his hand. “You okay?”
Harry turned to him and nodded. “I’m fine, actually. I didn’t expect that to go nearly as well. I was expecting him to be completely furious; I thought he’d be throwing things at me – or at you, at least. But he was— calm. It’s almost kind of freaky, in a good way.”
Draco kissed his cheek and smiled slightly at him. “I’m glad it went well.”
The day after the graduation, every Wizarding newspaper wrote about Harry Potter and his boyfriend, Draco Malfoy. The transcript of both Draco’s and Harry’s speeches were printed, the articles were long with a million speculations and the pictures of Harry and Draco, tightly intertwined in a kiss made the newspapers sell more than four times the usual amount of copies. Teenage witches everywhere cried as the Wizarding world’s most eligible teenage bachelor suddenly went out of the competition – as well as the second most eligible.
Harry and Draco stayed in Draco’s rooms, ignoring the press and the people wanting to talk with them, about them. The couple knew that everyone would talk about them whether they were there or not. So they ignored everything but each other. Just as it should be.
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