Song- Here Without You

Pansy was walking down the aisle, dressed in white, looking like the queen she was about to be.

And all Draco could think of was Harry.

Bright green eyes that had first caught his attention, messy soft black hair that Draco loved to run his fingers through, smile that was always directed at Draco.

God dammit, Draco was in love with a commoner.

He was in love with a boy.

He was in love with Harry.

And now Pansy was standing in front of him.

Her eyes reflected the pain Draco felt. 

"We really fucked up this time, didn't we?" he asked quietly.

"We didn't fuck up, Draco. The world fucked us over." Pansy met his eyes. "But I will do my duty and I will marry you and we will pretend to be perfect because that's what royalty does."

"You're in love with a commoner girl," he murmured.

"I am."

"I'm in love with a commoner boy."

Pansy's eyes met his sharply, shocked. "You are?"

Draco nodded sadly. "I love him, Pansy. He's my everything, and now he has to go back to that horrible family and I have to pretend I never met him."

"I'm so tired of being fucked over," Pansy whispered. "I want to take control of my life, for once. My entire life, I've been Persephone Parkinson, with the last name of Malfoy just waiting to be added. I've been the perfect little straight girl who was supposed to be in love with you, who was supposed to marry you. I don't want to marry you. I don't love you that way. I don't want to be Persephone anymore. I want to be Pansy."

"You'll always be Pansy to me," Draco murmured. 

"And you'll always be Draco to me. But to the public, you are Prince Draconis Malfoy of Durmstrang, his Royal Highness, soon-to-be king of this country, irriversibly in love with Persephone Parkinson. You are a prince, you are royalty, you have duties and you have responsibilities, and aren't you fucking tired of them?"

"Yes," Draco said loudly without thinking.

"And do you, Persephone Parkinson, take Draconis Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Draco froze. He hadn't realized what he had indirectly agreed to.

Silence crossed the room. Pansy's terrified eyes met Draco's.

Draco breathed a shaky breath. In this moment, his future was going to be determined by Pansy.

Pansy seemed to be unable to speak. She couldn't seem to be able to say the words I do.

Draco reached out, taking her hand and squeezing it. "It's okay, Pansy."

"Promise?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Draco allowed his hand to slip so only his pinky was still connected to Pansy's hand. "Promise."

She nodded. 

"I do," she said, loud enough for the entire room to hear.

Draco's vision was slightly blurred with tears as he leaned forward and kissed her.

It felt exactly like their first kiss, no passion, no happiness, just slight desperation to feel anything at all.

Cheers went up around him, but Draco barely heard them over the breaking of his own heart.

He wanted it to be Harry. Harry standing there. Harry kissing him. Harry saying "I do."

He wanted Harry, but Harry was a commoner and a boy, and they could never be together.

His eyes scanned the cheering crowd, coming to rest on a brown-haired girl.

Hermione was crying. Not happy tears, not surprised, not joyful. Heartbroken, devastated, broken tears. A redheaded boy stood next to her, holding her hand and murmuring words that Draco assumed were comforting.

He saw her make eye contact with Pansy, and her mouth moved to form the words "I'm sorry," before she turned around and was gone. The redheaded boy stared after her, but said nothing, his mouth open in shock.

He felt Pansy try to let go of his hand, to run after the girl, but he tightened his grip.

"We can't," he whispered, broken.

"Maybe you can't, but I will." Pansy pulled at his hand, and Draco refused to let go.

"Pansy, we're married. It's over."

Pansy seemed to break at these words, her grip on his hand loosening as her shoulders fell and so did a tear.

"I love her," she whispered. 

At this, something inside of Draco broke. Maybe he could force himself into some stupid marriage for the country. Maybe he could fake it. Maybe he could give up on true love.

But he could never make Pansy do that.

"If I could get everyone's attention!" he shouted. Instantly, the room silenced. He saw Hermione standing by the door, pausing in her journey to leave, staring at him.

Draco's voice got a little quieter, but everyone still heard him.

"You know me as Prince Draconis Malfoy. Inheriter of the throne. Leader of my people. Perfect, impeccable, unable to do harm."

People looked confused.

"You know her as Persephone Parkinson, golden girl of the kingdom. Destined to be with me forever. Star-crossed lovers."

His eyes caught Hermione's before he continued talking.

"I would like to introduce you to Draco and Pansy."

"Draconis!" his father hissed, but Draco continued.

"We've been best friends since we were three. And when we were ten, we were told that we were going to get married after my eighteenth birthday."

Small ripples of whispers ran through the room.

"We've lived our entire lives being told what to do, who we are, what we need to be. We never had any control over our futures. Well, today I'm taking control."

Lucius was glaring at Draco. Draco ignored him, squeezing Pansy's hand.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is Pansy Parkinson, and we have never been in love."

Gasps of shock ran through the room.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is Pansy Parkinson, and we fell in love with other people in these last two months."

Sharper gasps, this time from their parents.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is Pansy Parkinson, and both of us are gay."

This time, there were shouts among shocked gasps.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is Pansy Parkinson, and our best friend Blaise Zabini attempted suicide a month ago because she is a boy and the world is cruel."

There were more shouts now.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is Pansy Parkinson, and a month and a half ago, a gay couple was murdered in public!" he shouted, voice rising above the loud audience.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is Pansy Parkinson, and if you don't mind, I'd like a divorce, darling," he finished, grinning at his best friend.

She just laughed breathlessly, hugging him tightly.

"Persephone, is this true?" someone shouted from the crowd.

She turned away from Draco, facing the crowd.

"My name is Pansy Parkinson, and I'm in love with Hermione Granger," she said firmly. 

The crowd fell into dead silence, before someone shot through the crowd, flying onto the platform Draco and Pansy were standing on, and hugging Pansy tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Pansy, I was so scared," Hermione murmured, hugging her tightly.

Pansy looked close to tears, holding Hermione close. "I love you."

"And I love you."

The crowd seemed shocked silent at the show. The redheaded boy's eyes were huge, and Draco watched a slow smile cross his face.

Suddenly, a girl in the crowd stepped forward, white-blonde hair reminding Draco of his own.

"My name is Luna Lovegood, and I support you," she said quietly.

The redheaded boy stepped forward, joining Luna.

"My name is Ron Weasley, and I support you," he added softly.

A redheaded blur rushed forward, tackling Ron and clinging to his shoulders as he struggled to remain standing.

"My name is Ginny Weasley, and I support you!" she sang loudly, leaning down from her perch on her brother's shoulders to kiss Luna.

"My name is Neville Longbottom, and I support you!"

"My name is Padma Patil, and I support you!"

"My name is Parvati Patil and I support you!"

"My name is Cedric Diggory and I support you!"

Draco's eyes widened as more and more people his age stepped forward, calling out their messages of support. Most of the adults looked angry and didn't join, but a few called in their support as well.

"My name is Remus Lupin, and I support you!"

"My name is Sirius Black, and I support you!" the man next to him said, arm wrapped around Remus' shoulders as he grinned.

"My name is Millicent Bulstrode and I support you!"

"My name is Cho Chang and I support you!"

Draco's breath caught as a dark-haired boy pushed through the crowd, green eyes catching Draco's.

"My name is Harry Potter, and I love you," he said.

Draco let out a little gasp, holding out his hands and pulling Harry up onto the platform with him.

Harry looked down at their holding hands, and up at Draco, smiling shyly.

Draco leaned in and kissed him, and ignored the screams around him.