More Than A Partner - Part 2 of 2 (H/D, mature)
Title: More Than a Partner (Part 2 of 2)
Author: sesheta_66
Beta: charmed310
Recipient: oceaxe. Original request can be read here.
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, past Draco/wife
Summary: Harry Potter appears to have a wonderful life: wife, children and the job of his dreams. When things begin to crumble, he finds solace and comfort in a partnership he never saw coming.
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Word Count: ~ 15,170
Author's Notes: DH compliant, including epilogue. Any seemingly 'fluffy' references are intended as teasing/humour only.
Click here for Part 1.
"Get out, Ron. Now. I have nothing more to say to you," Harry said, his wand aimed directly at Ron's chest.
"You don't have a fucking clue about anything, do you Weasel?" Draco asked, having cornered Ron in the lunch room when no one else was around. He took the opportunity to lock the door and cast a Silencing Charm so they could have a little chat.
"Get the fuck away from me, Malfoy!"
"Gladly, but not until you listen to me."
"It'll be a cold day in hell --" He didn't get to finish the sentence, because Draco had cast a Full-Body-Bind on him.
"There. Now you can stay there, shut up and listen. Your sister is a bitch. A complete and utter bitch. She fell for Harry because he was the hero, then didn't like what it meant to live with a hero. Harry has always hated the attention he got, and went out of his way to avoid even more. But he likes contributing to the greater good, so he took this job. He loves his job, and in case it escaped your notice, he is very good at it.
"Somehow that bitch of a wife of his got it in her head that he was doing all of this for attention, because he didn't think she was ... how had she put it? Ah, yes ... She wasn't fawning over him enough. As if that weren't enough, she told him to get over himself, think of her for a change, and quit his job, or else she would leave. He called her bluff, and that was that.
"She pretended to be something she wasn't, and she kept her own feelings to herself. Somehow she managed to manipulate the situation so that Harry looked like the bad one, when really all he did was accept the fact that he was married to someone he never really knew, and cut his losses.
"So now I would suggest that if you value your friendship with Harry, you go to him and apologize for your behaviour. You are a pompous ass, Weasley, and as far as I'm concerned, Harry's better off without the lot of you. But for some reason, he values your friendship. If you value his, you'll accept his decision and make amends."
He ended the curse and left the weasel to ponder his next move.
"Harry, wait up!" Ron called as Harry was leaving the building for lunch a few days later.
"I have nothing to say to you."
"What if I apologize?"
Harry stopped, but didn't turn around. "I'm listening."
"I'm sorry about what I said, Harry. I should have given you the chance to explain first before taking Ginny's side." When Harry said nothing, and still failed to turn around, he continued. "Really, Harry, I'm sorry. But you wouldn't talk to me. What was I supposed to think?"
"How about that it was none of your business?"
"Of course it's my business!" Ron said indignantly.
Harry turned to look at him. "Look, Ron, you're my best mate --"
"Am I really? I thought that was Malfoy's role now."
Harry huffed in exasperation. "Really, Ron, is everything a competition?"
"Well, you two sure seem to be getting on grandly."
"And what do you suggest we do, bicker? That wouldn't do either of us - or the department - any good, would it? We are partners, Ron. As you may recall, you didn't want to be my partner any more --"
"I never said that."
"No, that's right. You just wanted me to change who I am to suit yours and Ginny's needs. Since I wasn't prepared to do that, you left me with no choice. Now Draco is my partner, and in case you hadn't noticed, we work quite well as a team. And," he added, so he didn't sound as though he were rubbing anything in Ron's face, "it seems that you and your new partner are working out well also. So, all's well that ends well, yeah?"
"I suppose so."
"So, you are still my best mate. We've been through a lot together, and I think that we can put aside this latest episode and move on."
"I'd like that."
"But I do have one condition," Harry said, indicating by his tone that it was non-negotiable.
"What's that?"
"There will be no more 'reporting home' to Ginny about what I do."
"I wouldn't --"
"You would. You did. For all I know, you still do." He moved himself slightly into Ron's personal space before saying, "If I catch wind that you are doing anything of the kind again, I won't be so forgiving. I'll say it again, Ron. You're my best mate, but I won't tolerate that. One word about me to Ginny - that goes for Hermione too - and our friendship is over. Ginny and I are through. She has grown into a manipulative and resentful woman, and I am not sad that it's over. You need to accept it and move on, just as much as she does. If you can't do that, tell me now. Otherwise, you need to know that I'm not kidding."
"I'm sorry, Harry, for whatever I contributed to her manipulation in the past. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't."
When Harry returned to their office after his discussion with Ron, Draco knew something had happened.
"Hey, Harry, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just laid it all out for Ron is all."
Draco wasn't sure what that meant, though he thought he had a good idea. "What did you say?"
"Mind if we don't talk about it right now?"
"Not at all. But we'll go out after work."
"I think I'd rather just go home and have a quiet meal, think things through. I don't really feel like going out. Rain check, though?"
"Nope."
"Look, Draco, I appreciate --"
"No, Harry. I don't mean to drag you out to some pub unwillingly. I heard what you said, and you want to stay in. But I can see this is difficult for you, so I'm proposing that you not just go back to your flat and brood. Come over to the Manor, and we'll have supper in, where we can talk about what a prat Weasley is, have a few pints, and then you can Floo home. Sound good?"
Harry's gratitude was evident in his features. He visibly relaxed and a sad, resigned sort of smile crossed his lips. "Yeah. I think that sounds really good."
"That's settled then. Now, we have a case or ten to solve! Let's get at it."
"Alright, Potter. It's the weekend. Let's go."
"Give me half an hour. I just want to finish up this paperwork before we go."
Draco put his palm on the pile of papers on Harry's desk to get his attention. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were stalling. The paperwork will be here Monday morning. There's nothing here that can't wait until then. Besides," he narrowed his eyes knowingly at his partner, "you hate paperwork. You're not fooling me."
"I'm not trying --"
Draco interrupted him with a laugh. "Harry, look at me. Slytherin, remember? It's in my nature to observe people. You're stalling. Now let's go." He knew that Harry was postponing the discussion about Weasley. "Harry, delaying the inevitable won't make it go away, as much as you want it to. We're going to have supper and talk about this, and you will feel better for it. I promise I won't bite." He smirked and leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear. "Unless you want me to." Harry turned the most delicious shade of pink at those words, and Draco felt his stomach flip.
"Cute," Harry said. "I think I'll forego the biting tonight." He got up from his desk, grabbed his cloak and wand and leaned in to whisper back in Draco's ear. "But thanks for the offer. I might take a rain check." Then he walked out ahead of Draco towards the Floo. It was Draco's turn to turn pink.
Holding back a groan, Draco thought, This could be a long night.
As Draco excused himself to talk to the house-elves, Harry waited in the sitting room. This was the first time he had been back to the Manor since showing up there a week after Voldemort's downfall to return Draco's wand. It looked vastly different from the last time he saw it, but that didn't stop the flow of memories that came flooding back to him.
He stood up and began pacing before settling by the bay window overlooking the grounds. It really was quite spectacular. He could see why Draco spoke so fondly of it. Before today, he hadn't really thought about the Manor except as his own temporary prison and the place where Voldemort and his Death Eaters resided. Harry gave an involuntary shudder at the memory.
"Are you cold?" Draco asked as he re-entered the room.
"No," Harry replied, a little startled. "I was just remembering."
He knew he didn't have to say any more. Draco's eyes darkened. "Oh, Harry, I didn't think. I'm sorry." He looked sorry. "Why don't we go to my flat instead?"
Harry smiled. "No, Draco, this is your home, and I appreciate you inviting me into it. I just ... well, it will just take a little time to adjust."
"Yeah ... it took a while for me to feel comfortable here again. I kept seeing him everywhere. And the Death Eaters. And Greyback." Draco winced as he said the name. "As soon as I could, I redecorated everything. I wanted to get rid of everything he had touched, but of course I couldn't. I kept our family heirlooms, some things magically attached to the place, and a few things that reminded me of my parents. But I changed every room."
"To cleanse it," Harry said knowingly. He had done the same thing with Grimmauld Place, wanting to remove all traces of the Order and the fact that it had been the Headquarters of a war movement.
"Yeah."
"Did it work?" Harry asked, knowing that with all his good intentions, he still couldn't completely eliminate the reminders.
"No," Draco replied, "but it helped."
"I'm glad."
"Are you sure you're okay being here?"
"It's your home and you invited me here. Of course I'm okay." Harry was pleased to see the smile that spread across Draco's face. Harry was afraid he may have insulted him. "Besides, this view is gorgeous."
"Isn't it though? I spent a lot of time wandering the grounds as a boy, and as a father with Scorpius. It holds a lot of good memories for me."
"I'm glad that Voldemort didn't completely ruin this place for you." Draco looked at him curiously. "Family is important. You have roots, Draco. Your family goes back centuries, and this home is a big link to your past. I'm glad you never let it go, for your sake as well as your son's. Scorpius is a lucky boy to have that connection to his family. And he's lucky to have a father like you."
Harry was a bit surprised at his own words. He hadn't, after all, meant to get all maudlin, but the lack of his own connection to his family just seemed to creep in. He supposed it had a lot to do with the end of his marriage, and the tension between him and Ron. The Weasleys had been his adoptive family since he was a boy, but he felt a huge wedge there now. He hadn't felt this lonely in a very long time.
Shaking those thoughts away, he turned back to see a stunned Draco staring at him. "What?"
"That was the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Thank you."
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," Harry said, wanting to lighten the mood. "So what's for dinner?"
While they waited for dinner to be served, Draco watched Harry closely. He knew that the memories of Voldemort had inundated him when they had arrived - how could he have forgotten? But there was more to it. When he had talked about family, roots, connections, Draco could hear sadness below the surface. Of course, Harry had never known family, except those stupid Muggles. He still had a mental note in the back of his mind to do something about that, but it could wait. Then it came to him. Of course! The Weasleys had been his family, even before he married the weaselette. He remembered Harry talking about spending Christmases there when they were in school.
Now, with his marriage over and his friendship with Weasel and Granger tenuous at best, and his children away at school, Harry must feel quite alone.
Careful, a voice in the back of his mind warned him. Draco already knew he was attracted to his partner - his straight partner - but this was new. Now he wanted to comfort him, help him through whatever this was. But it was dangerous territory. Not only did Harry not know about that, but he was his partner. Draco couldn't risk others finding out. He chose to ignore the voice warning him about his own heart, though. Right now, Harry's needed healing.
"So," Draco began, "what happened today?"
Harry tensed immediately. "Can we talk about it after dinner?"
"We could, but I suspect you'd enjoy your meal better if you've already got it off your chest. You look wound up so tight, you're ready to let loose any second."
Harry turned to stare out the window again. In that moment he looked so young and so fragile, that Draco's heart ached for him. He wanted desperately to hold the other man in his arms, but didn't know what sort of reaction that would solicit. And they hadn't been friends (is that what they were now?) for very long, so it might seem out of place. He settled for moving over to the window and putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. Thankfully, Harry didn't pull away.
"The Weasleys are my only family," he began. Ah. So Draco had been right. "Ron is like a brother to me, and his parents ... well, they've always treated me as one of their own, especially Molly. But now ... with the divorce looming, I don't know what'll happen."
"Is this because of Ginny or Ron?" Draco asked. "Because it seems to me that it was only after you talked to Ron today that you became this upset."
"It's both. You see, Ron had been feeding Ginny information about me ... about work. She went behind my back to Ron and Hermione, and they agreed to keep an eye on me."
Draco's blood, he was sure, had started to boil in his veins. "They did what?" he asked ominously.
"Yeah," Harry said, still not looking at him. "Ginny didn't like me being an Auror. Well, she did at first, but then somewhere along the way, she decided that it would be best to have me work a desk job. Or at least something less risky."
"And Ron?"
"Well, Hermione told him that she wouldn't be too disappointed if he stopped working in the field so much either. So Ron had it from both sides, though at least Hermione wasn't going behind his back."
"But she wasn't being honest with you, either."
"No, she wasn't. So Ron started hinting about things. Then I noticed that Ginny seemed to know stuff about work, whether I told her or not." He finally turned to look at Draco, and the blonde had to hold back a gasp. He had never seen Harry looking so ... defeated. "I stopped telling her about anything dangerous, because it inevitably led to a fight, so I guess she thought she'd get the information from elsewhere."
"Ron." Draco was a little sorry that he wouldn't be seeing the weasel until Monday.
"Yes, Ron. It got really bad, Draco. He was keeping tabs on how many times we went in without backup, and the day I went to Kingsley was the final straw. I didn't trust him any more. I couldn't talk to him, and I found that I had started second-guessing myself before acting, because a fleeting thought of, "What if Ginny finds out about this?" would go through my mind. I knew I couldn't work with him any more, so I asked for a new partner."
"Personally, I don't think I could have waited as long as you did."
"Yeah, well, I thought that would have been the end of it."
"And it wasn't?"
"Nope. He kept telling her what was going on. I'd come home and she'd ask me what had happened that day. I told her some stuff, but not all of it. It was clear to me that she already knew everything. Then, after that day when we captured those eleven blokes in one shot, she knew before I got home. And that was it. You know the rest. She gave me an ultimatum. My job or her."
"And you chose your job." It wasn't a question.
"Well, I had this new partner that was depending on me," he said with a grin.
"Oh, Harry! You chose me over the weaselette! I'm so flattered!" he said, batting his eyelashes.
"Yeah, well, you're prettier than her these days." He did NOT just say that! "It's amazing how unattractive a person gets when they are so manipulative and deceitful, isn't it?" Draco, unable to speak, simply nodded. "Well Ginny doesn't look so good to me any more. Not at all."
"Well," Draco finally recovered, "when you're comparing her to such a dazzling partner such as myself, it's hard not to pale in comparison."
"Too true," Harry said with a smile, but not a hint of humour in his voice.
"Harry --"
"We is serving supper in the dining room, Master Malfoy, sir," a house-elf interrupted. Draco took a breath, his mind returning from wherever it had just been. He had almost said ... Oh, God.
"Thank you," he said, relieved that he hadn't said anything stupid. "We will be in shortly."
"As you wish," the elf said, and he bowed and left the room.
Regaining his composure, Draco looked again at Harry. "So what happened today?"
"Today ... right," Harry said. Grinning, he looked up at Draco. "Ron's jealous of you."
"What?" Draco asked, wondering where that came from.
"Yeah. He said that he figures you are my best mate now, not him."
"And?"
"And what?"
"What did you say to that?"
"I told him that not everything needs to be a competition."
"Interesting."
"What is?"
"You avoided the question."
"It wasn't a question. It was an accusation."
"Semantics, Potter. What if I ask you the question directly? Will you answer me?"
"What are you on about?"
"Am I your best mate?" Draco asked. What the hell - why not ask?
Harry furrowed his brows for a moment before answering. "I suppose, right at this moment, you are," he replied, looking up at Draco. "But it's more than that. You are more than that."
Draco tried to prevent a grin from spreading all over his face. Don't read too much into that, the voice in his head said. "Meaning?" was all he could trust himself to say without his voice giving away something.
"Well, I don't know how to say it. There's some sort of connection there, you know? I mean ... I think it's always been there, only we used to direct anger at each other. Now ... well, now we don't. I think we work well together, but not just because of our training and experience, and not just because we're both Aurors, but because we get each other, you know?"
"Yeah, Harry, I do."
Harry smiled at him. "You do? So I'm not crazy? I'm not imagining things?"
"No, Harry, you're not. There's definitely something there." If you only knew.
"Good. I thought maybe I was going round the twist or something."
"Oh, you are - don't kid yourself," Draco told him seriously. "Just not about this."
That earned him a punch in the arm. "Prat."
"So once you told the weasel that I mean more to you than life itself, what then?" Draco prompted, amazed that his words came out without his voice shaking.
"Oh, I would never tell Ron that. That information is for your ears only, honey," he replied and winked. Draco's heart started racing. This isn't happening. He isn't flirting with me. He didn't just wink at me and call me 'honey'.
"Good. I wouldn't want you to ruin your reputation."
"Oh, I could do worse."
"I might remind you that you did do worse."
Harry snorted. "Point. So anyway, long story short, I told Ron that, even though he's my best mate, I can't have him reporting to his sister - or anyone else - about me."
"What did he say?"
"He said he wouldn't."
"Ha!"
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I said. See? You really do get me, honey." Harry flashed him a smile that lit up his entire face. Draco thought he would melt on the spot. "Anyway, I told him that he would, he did, and for all I know, he continues to report to her. And if I hear tell that he ever does it again, our friendship is over."
"You said that to him?"
"I did. He said it wouldn't happen again, and I told him it had better not, and then I left."
"And now you feel guilty."
"How did you know?"
"Because I know you, honey."
"It's just ... he's like family."
"I know, Harry, but sometimes families aren't all they're cracked up to be. Hell, look at mine!"
"Don't say that!" Harry admonished him. "Your father may have been a right bastard to everyone else, and he made some phenomenally bad choices, but he loved you. And you know your mother loved you. No matter their faults, Draco, they were your parents and they loved you. And I can see how much you love Scorpius. I'm sure he loves you just as much."
"Well, what's not to love?" Harry laughed, which was just the reaction Draco had been hoping for. They were right back where they started, and Harry needed some cheering up.
"Harry?"
"Mmm?"
"Ron's an idiot. He should never have betrayed your trust that way, and I hope for your sake he's learned his lesson and comes round. I know you value his friendship, and his family means a lot to you. But if he doesn't, I'd be happy to --"
"Aww ... you'll be my family?" Harry asked in an artificially sweet voice, batting his eyelashes hopefully at him.
Draco was knocked back but just how close to the truth that statement was. "Er ... I was going to say that I'd be happy to arrange for a few well-placed and undetectable curses to befall him."
"Oh, well, I suppose if you must."
"What?"
"If you insist."
"You wouldn't try to stop me?"
"Hell no! In fact, I might help you out there."
"You know what, Harry?"
"What Draco?"
"I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Quoting Muggle movies now? What has the world come to?"
"I don't know, but I think I like you more and more every day."
"Thanks," Harry said, finally swinging his legs off the window ledge. "Feeling's mutual." He got to his feet, gave Draco a peck on the cheek and asked, "So, shall we go have supper?"
Harry sat across the very long dining room table watching Draco. He wasn't sure what was happening between them, but it felt right. He hadn't been kidding when he said that there was more between them than just friendship. He had felt it for so long, but he had never really thought about it before. He was apprehensive about saying anything when Draco had asked, but then it all just came out. And he had been pleasantly surprised to find that Draco agreed with him.
And he was being so ... nice to Harry. Not in a patronizing sort of way, or even any out-of-character way. He was still snarky, sarcastic and very much a Slytherin, but Harry found that it wasn't in a nasty way. In fact, it was rather endearing, and he wouldn't have wanted him any other way. Wait a minute! Where did that thought come from? He didn't want Draco in any way. Did he?
He continued to watch his partner as he ate, replaying their earlier conversations through his mind.
"Either I have something on my face or I'm just too irresistible. Which is it?" Draco asked.
"What?"
"You're staring, Potter."
"Am I?"
"Yes, you are. So, do I have something on my face?"
"Besides the usual -- eyes, nose, mouth and self-important sneer? Nope."
"Ah ... witty Potter. Who knew?"
"Well, you know ... I try."
"So I'm just too dashing for words, then?"
"What?"
"You were staring, Potter, remember? Keep up. Obviously there was nothing unusual on my face, so you must just have been captivated by my good looks."
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, that's it. Those grey eyes just pull me in and I can't get back out again." Then he blew Draco a kiss. What am I doing? Draco had looked at him oddly when he called him honey, and again now that he blew him a kiss, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact ... No, I'm imagining things, reading something into nothing.
They had a great evening, eventually returning to the sitting room for an after-supper brandy. They chatted about lots of things, and very few were work-related. Draco was surprised to find that they didn't even avoid the more dangerous topics, which they always had done in the past. It seemed that all barriers had been dropped, and they could finally talk freely. Even about Lucius, Voldemort, and their own volatile relationship in school.
Harry told him all about being 'inside' Voldemort's mind, and witnessing what Draco had done. He had begun to apologize, but Harry stopped him, explaining that he had also seen the anguish in Draco's eyes, and knew that he had had no choice. He explained about being on the Astronomy Tower the night of Dumbledore's death as well. He didn't blame him for anything -- not even the disaster that had been their sixth year. Harry, for reasons unfathomable to Draco, had forgiven him for ... well, for everything. He was overwhelmed, but Harry would have none of that, waving it all off and telling Draco that he had only done what he felt he had to. He wouldn't have made the same choices, but many people probably would have, so Draco should learn to forgive himself.
For his part, Draco had forgiven Harry for nearly killing him in sixth year, since he had been about to throw an Unforgiveable at him. Harry's eyes still had a look of such deep anguish and regret that he couldn't comprehend. He had been asking for it, besides which Harry - by his own admission - hadn't even realized what the curse would do. But he still felt so terribly guilty, and it had taken quite a lot of Draco's calming words to get him to shut up about it. He had gone on to say that if Harry expected him to accept that he was forgiven, then Draco had every right to expect the same in return. Harry laughed and mumbled something about 'Bloody Slytherins', but in the end agreed.
And every once in a while, Harry would call him honey. Or wink at him. And at dinner he had blown him a kiss. Even though he knew his partner was just joking around, it was all Draco could do not to get up and give him a good snogging right then and there.
He excused himself to use the loo, and splash some water on his face. The evening had turned out to be nothing like he had expected. Hoped for, perhaps, but never dreamt it would happen. But then, what was happening? Probably nothing. He was reading more into things than there really was. Sure, Harry had said that they were more than friends, but what did that really mean? They had a connection, but that didn't mean ...
He dried off his face and returned to find Harry asleep on his sofa, glasses askance and brandy snifter precariously perched on his knee. Draco smiled and removed the glass from Harry's hand, then pulled his legs up onto the sofa, so he was lying down properly. He didn't wake. Then he removed Harry's glasses, set them on the coffee table, and covered him with a blanket. Unable to resist, he brushed Harry's hair off his forehead, and placed a gentle kiss on his scar.
"Good night, Harry."
As he was leaving the room, he heard Harry move and mumble, "G'night, honey."
Harry woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and cinnamon. "Mmm," he groaned as he stretched out on ... a sofa?
"Morning, sunshine," Draco teased him.
Ah, Draco's sofa. "Morning, honey," Harry said as he sat up. Draco rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite hold back a bemused smile. Good, it wasn't just the alcohol. Well, Harry thought, there really hadn't been much of that the night before anyway. Just good friends and good conversation. "I need to use the washroom," he grumbled. "And I need a toothbrush."
"You are welcome to have a shower while you're at it."
"Thanks, but I've nothing to wear." He caught ... was that a leer? He felt his face go pink.
"We may not be the exact same size, but I'm sure I can find you something in my wardrobe that would suffice. Here, I'll show you where everything is." Draco led him to his bedroom, showed him the en suite, gave him towels, a fresh toothbrush, and told him to take his time in the shower while Draco chose an outfit for him.
"Thanks," Harry grumbled again, then went into the washroom.
Standing under the shower, Harry replayed the events of the night before in his mind. As his morning erection twitched back into full hardness at the memories, he took it in hand and began to stroke himself. Closing his eyes, he imagined a blonde-haired, grey-eyed Slytherin calling out his name.
As he came, Harry had to use every ounce of self-restraint not to call out Draco's name in response. Oh, God. More than friends, indeed.
A few days later, Harry and Draco found themselves at a dead end in one of their more high-profile cases. The daughter of a prominent and wealthy Muggle from Wales had been kidnapped and held for ransom. The ransom had been paid and the daughter returned, but there had been no arrests.
There was plenty of evidence in the form of residual magic left at the scene, so they knew the kidnapping had been perpetrated by someone from the wizarding world, but very few other leads were to be found. The case had been assigned to them, knowing that Draco had connections with the wealthy, and Harry had extensive knowledge of Muggle culture. Yet between them, they had run all their leads to the same empty conclusion.
"Something about this case is gnawing at the back of my mind," Draco complained. "There's something familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it."
"There aren't any open cases of this kind on record. We checked that."
"Not here."
"Not anywhere in Europe," Harry corrected. "I had Frances run it through the International Aurors' Network for any similarities, but there were none."
"What about closed cases?"
"You mean someone who might have already served time?"
"Mm-hmm. We checked as far back as a year for recently released prisoners, but what if the person had been lying low for a while?"
"Or maybe more recent cases haven't been reported," Harry suggested.
"Exactly. After all, the girl was returned to her family."
"Frances has left for the day already," Harry reminded him.
"Well then, there's nothing else for it."
"We wait until tomorrow?"
"Hell no!" Draco declared. "You can if you wish, but I'm going down to the Archives."
"As if I'd let you take all the glory for breaking this case!"
"Well then, Potter, it looks like you'll have to come with me."
"Alas, my busy social schedule shall suffer once again because of my workaholic partner," Harry sighed.
"Oh, you love me and you know it!" Draco winked and walked towards the lift.
"Yeah, well ... what can I say? I'm a sucker for punishment."
"That's odd. No one's here," Harry observed as they entered the Office of Archival Records.
"Probably just went to the loo. Come on then."
"We should wait."
Draco looked around in mock confusion, then back at Harry. "Who are you and what have you done with my partner?"
Harry rolled his eyes and followed Draco into the room, past the sparsely-furnished reading area, and into the bowels of the Ministry's historical records.
"Merlin, this place is huge!" Harry gasped.
"Haven't you ever been in here?" Draco asked. "You've worked for the Ministry for twenty years! You can't tell me you've never had to pull an old case file."
"Nah, we'd usually just requisition the file while we kept busy with other leads, then come down here to view it. We never had to go past the reading area."
"Well, Auror Potter, welcome to the Archives!"
"Hermione would wet herself if she saw this place," Harry thought aloud.
"Mmm, as pleasant an image as that is, perhaps we should get to work."
They spent the better part of two hours narrowing their search down to about forty possible cases, then another hour pulling those files and sorting them by priority. They brought the files back to the reading area, sat themselves on the sofa, and set to work.
A faint beeping noise sounded in the background. "Did you hear that?" Harry asked, his Auror instincts kicking in as he set down his file and pulled out his wand.
"Yeah," Draco replied, doing the same.
Suddenly the door to the Archives shut with a loud clunk, and they were plunged into total darkness. Harry could feel Draco's hand on his arm, alerting him to his presence, but not making any noise.
"Lumos," he heard Draco whisper. Nothing happened. "Lumos," Draco tried again.
Harry tried as well, but with no better results. "Why is it so dark in here?" Harry asked.
"Perhaps because the lights are out?"
"Very amusing, Malfoy."
"I think they've locked down the office," Draco said after a short while, when they had determined that there didn't seem to be anyone else present.
"What?" Harry asked.
"I heard some rumblings recently about some extra security, after-hours something or other."
"Now you tell me?" Harry said in exasperation.
"Yes, well, I hadn't really thought about it, and I didn't see anything official," Draco offered by way of explanation. "Let's just Apparate out of here."
Apparition didn't work. Nor did any other spell they tried. It didn't seem that they were in any imminent danger, however. Just locked in the Archives.
"Shit!" Harry called out in exasperation. "The security must ward against spell usage. Shit, shit, shit!"
"I should have known better."
"Yeah, well, no use dwelling on the obvious."
"I wasn't dwelling, Potter. I was observing."
"Well, perhaps you could observe us a way out of here, Malfoy?"
"You're the bloody Saviour. Isn't that your job?"
"Nope. I quit that gig ages ago."
"Gig? Did you just say gig?"
Harry ignored him. "I'm afraid you'll just have to settle for regular old Auror Potter now."
"Oh, Harry, you are anything but regular."
"Why, Draco, flattery will get you everywhere!"
"Even out of here?"
"Perhaps not. But it will get you far anyway."
"Well, since out of here is where I want to get for now, why don't we try working on that?"
"Smashing idea, that."
Harry just knew Draco had rolled his eyes. "I saw that, you know."
"Let's just try to figure a way out of here, okay?"
They managed to make their way to the door, but found that it wouldn't open - not that they expected otherwise. "I think we're stuck here, Draco."
"What was your first clue?"
"Hmm ... the lack of available escape?"
"Don't sound so dramatic, Potter. We're at the Ministry, not held captive somewhere."
"True."
"At least there's a loo," Draco offered.
"All the amenities of home, I see," Harry commented dryly.
Hours - or at least it seemed like hours - passed, they were still unable to perform any magic, and all amusing banter had long ago ceased. Eyes heavy from reading for hours, Harry removed his glasses and closed them.
He awoke with a start, a warm body nestled on top of his. Draco's warm body. Unsure how, but not at all displeased that they had ended up this way, Harry reluctantly decided he'd better wake up his partner.
"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up."
"Five more minutes," Draco grumbled, squirming deliciously on top of Harry. Oh, God, Harry thought as his body reacted to the movement. He didn't miss the fact that Draco's body was reacting in much the same manner as his own. And then ... oh, God ... Draco started planting lazy kisses on his chest, his neck, his chin, and the corner of his mouth, just before he suddenly stopped and tensed up.
"Um ... Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Draco said as he attempted to jump up.
Harry tightened his grip on him, and held Draco's body tightly against his own. "I'm not," he growled before running his hands through Draco's hair and pulling him down into a rough kiss. He could feel Draco moaning in response, and his hips lifted up of their own accord, rubbing their erections together.
Their tongues battled for supremacy, both of them wanting control. With each swirl of Draco's tongue against his own, waves of pleasure shot through Harry like he had never felt before. It was perfect. Draco's body was pressing against his own, his hips thrusting and circling, rubbing their cocks together.
Before long, Draco pulled back from their kiss to cry out, "So close ... so ..."
Harry felt his own orgasm rip through him and he heard Draco's name fall from his lips while in the distance he registered the sound of his own name echoing through the room.
"Fuck," Draco whispered as he rested his head on Harry's chest again.
"Not just yet," Harry replied. "I need some time to recover first."
They both laughed at that, and Harry held Draco close to him, planting soft kisses on his head as their breathing returned to normal.
"I've been wanting this for so long," Draco admitted.
"You've been wanting to get locked up in a room, unable to perform magic and with no way out?"
"Shut up, Harry, and be serious for a minute."
"Sorry," he said, lifting Draco's face above his own. "I have, too," Harry whispered and pulled him in for another kiss. This time the kiss was more relaxed, less urgent. Harry traced Draco's lips with his tongue slowly, lovingly, and moaning his pleasure, finally slid it into Draco's welcoming mouth. The kiss lasted almost forever and yet not nearly long enough, before Harry felt his body begin to respond again.
He pulled away from the kiss and groaned grudgingly, "I think we'd better stop now before we get too carried away. Someone could come in here at any moment."
Draco sniggered. "I believe we've already done that."
"Ha ha!" Harry slapped him on the arse. "I meant someone might arrive at any moment to get us out of here."
"While I appreciate your optimism, Harry, how do you reckon that will happen?"
"Well, I actually did have plans tonight, and --"
"Oh." Draco's body tensed up. "Had a hot date, did you?" Harry thought he heard a hint of irritation in Draco's voice.
"No," he said as he wrapped his arms reassuringly around Draco and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Just dinner with Ron and Hermione."
"Oh." Harry smiled as he felt Draco's body relax once again.
"Since I didn't call them, they'll be wondering why I just didn't show up, so it's possible they'll come looking for me."
"Or the weasel could just see you in the morning."
"Possibly, but I doubt it. We've been friends for a long time, and I always call if I can't make it. Even if Ron figured I was okay, Hermione would never let it go without making sure."
"So ..."
"What?"
"So ... we just wait?"
"I suppose. It's not as if we can read anything."
"Oh, reading was the furthest thing from my mind," Draco growled as he started planting kisses on Harry's neck again.
"Draco ... oh, God, that feels so good." He felt more than heard Draco chuckle. "But we really should ... mmm, oh, yeah ... we should wait until we ... oh God ... until we get out of here ..." He couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped.
"So this wasn't just some one-off?" Draco asked. "Desperate times, extenuating circumstances?"
Harry felt his face flush, and was glad of the cover of darkness. "It was desperate alright, but not in that way. I meant it when I said that I've wanted this for a long time too."
"But ... you're straight."
Sitting up, Harry chuckled. "The evidence would suggest otherwise," he said.
Suddenly, they heard the door open and felt the wards lift. Instinctively they reached for their wands.
"Harry! Malfoy!" they heard Ron's voice call. "Are you two in there?"
"Oh, great!" Draco groaned. "Weasel to the rescue. We'll never live this down."
Harry cast a Cleaning Spell before responding, and felt the magic wash over him. The wards were down.
"Lumos," Draco said, illuminating the tip of his wand.
"Over here, Ron," Harry called out. "How'd you find us?"
Ron walked over to where they were and took in their dishevelled look. "When you didn't show up, I sent an owl, and I tried Floo calling you." He looked over at Draco. "Hell, Hermione even tried calling Malfoy here, but when no one had seen either one of you, we figured something went wrong. There's a team out looking for you right now."
Harry caught Draco's eye, and knew that he was holding in his laughter just as much as Harry, probably thinking about what they had just been doing while a team of Aurors was out on the hunt for them.
"Laugh it up, guys, because it'll be everyone else laughing at your expense when they find out you were in the Archives the whole time."
"Really, Weasley, we couldn't help it that the doors locked and we couldn't get out."
"Oh, really? Had you checked in properly, the room would have recorded your magical signature and allowed you to leave. As it was, there was no record of your visit, so the security locked down at eight o'clock." He looked at them and rolled his eyes. "If you two ever bothered to read the memos that get circulated, you would've known this was the new protocol, as of about a month ago."
Harry looked at Draco, who suddenly could no longer hold in his laughter. "But we're always so good at following protocol," he joked. Even Ron laughed at that.
Then Ron shocked Harry. "So, Malfoy, I take it you haven't eaten, since you've been stuck in here with this git all night?"
"Ever the observant one, Weasley."
"Well, I reckon we've enough food to feed a Quidditch team, so you're welcome to join us." Harry's jaw dropped.
Draco hesitated for a moment before answering. Harry suspected that he was also in a bit of shock. "Thanks, Weasley, I don't mind if I do."
"Great!" Ron said, leading the way out. "I'll go on ahead and let the others know you're okay, so they can call off the hunt. I'd suggest you make yourselves scarce. You'll catch enough of it in the morning. Then give me a chance to get home and warn 'Mione that I'm bringing home a stray, and meet us in say half an hour?"
"Thanks, mate," Harry said, slapping Ron on the back in appreciation. "We'll see you in half an hour at your flat."
They quickly gathered up the material they had been researching before the lights had gone out, and placed it in a reserve tray for them to continue in the morning.
"Well, I suppose the weasel has come round then?" Draco asked.
"I'm not really sure what just happened there."
"Well, I suggest we don't question it," Draco said reasonably. "So ... I have twenty-five minutes to mentally prepare for dinner with the Weasleys. Any ideas on how best to accomplish that?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Mmm, I've a few. How about we finish what we started?" he asked as he pulled Draco's body up against his own.
"Finish? In that short a time? Potter, you disappoint me."
"Oh, alright then, we can finish later on," he said grinning. "But I wouldn't mind getting in a little practice first."
"Lead the way, honey."
~ FIN
.
Author: sesheta_66
Beta: charmed310
Recipient: oceaxe. Original request can be read here.
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, past Draco/wife
Summary: Harry Potter appears to have a wonderful life: wife, children and the job of his dreams. When things begin to crumble, he finds solace and comfort in a partnership he never saw coming.
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Word Count: ~ 15,170
Author's Notes: DH compliant, including epilogue. Any seemingly 'fluffy' references are intended as teasing/humour only.
Click here for Part 1.
"Get out, Ron. Now. I have nothing more to say to you," Harry said, his wand aimed directly at Ron's chest.
"You don't have a fucking clue about anything, do you Weasel?" Draco asked, having cornered Ron in the lunch room when no one else was around. He took the opportunity to lock the door and cast a Silencing Charm so they could have a little chat.
"Get the fuck away from me, Malfoy!"
"Gladly, but not until you listen to me."
"It'll be a cold day in hell --" He didn't get to finish the sentence, because Draco had cast a Full-Body-Bind on him.
"There. Now you can stay there, shut up and listen. Your sister is a bitch. A complete and utter bitch. She fell for Harry because he was the hero, then didn't like what it meant to live with a hero. Harry has always hated the attention he got, and went out of his way to avoid even more. But he likes contributing to the greater good, so he took this job. He loves his job, and in case it escaped your notice, he is very good at it.
"Somehow that bitch of a wife of his got it in her head that he was doing all of this for attention, because he didn't think she was ... how had she put it? Ah, yes ... She wasn't fawning over him enough. As if that weren't enough, she told him to get over himself, think of her for a change, and quit his job, or else she would leave. He called her bluff, and that was that.
"She pretended to be something she wasn't, and she kept her own feelings to herself. Somehow she managed to manipulate the situation so that Harry looked like the bad one, when really all he did was accept the fact that he was married to someone he never really knew, and cut his losses.
"So now I would suggest that if you value your friendship with Harry, you go to him and apologize for your behaviour. You are a pompous ass, Weasley, and as far as I'm concerned, Harry's better off without the lot of you. But for some reason, he values your friendship. If you value his, you'll accept his decision and make amends."
He ended the curse and left the weasel to ponder his next move.
"Harry, wait up!" Ron called as Harry was leaving the building for lunch a few days later.
"I have nothing to say to you."
"What if I apologize?"
Harry stopped, but didn't turn around. "I'm listening."
"I'm sorry about what I said, Harry. I should have given you the chance to explain first before taking Ginny's side." When Harry said nothing, and still failed to turn around, he continued. "Really, Harry, I'm sorry. But you wouldn't talk to me. What was I supposed to think?"
"How about that it was none of your business?"
"Of course it's my business!" Ron said indignantly.
Harry turned to look at him. "Look, Ron, you're my best mate --"
"Am I really? I thought that was Malfoy's role now."
Harry huffed in exasperation. "Really, Ron, is everything a competition?"
"Well, you two sure seem to be getting on grandly."
"And what do you suggest we do, bicker? That wouldn't do either of us - or the department - any good, would it? We are partners, Ron. As you may recall, you didn't want to be my partner any more --"
"I never said that."
"No, that's right. You just wanted me to change who I am to suit yours and Ginny's needs. Since I wasn't prepared to do that, you left me with no choice. Now Draco is my partner, and in case you hadn't noticed, we work quite well as a team. And," he added, so he didn't sound as though he were rubbing anything in Ron's face, "it seems that you and your new partner are working out well also. So, all's well that ends well, yeah?"
"I suppose so."
"So, you are still my best mate. We've been through a lot together, and I think that we can put aside this latest episode and move on."
"I'd like that."
"But I do have one condition," Harry said, indicating by his tone that it was non-negotiable.
"What's that?"
"There will be no more 'reporting home' to Ginny about what I do."
"I wouldn't --"
"You would. You did. For all I know, you still do." He moved himself slightly into Ron's personal space before saying, "If I catch wind that you are doing anything of the kind again, I won't be so forgiving. I'll say it again, Ron. You're my best mate, but I won't tolerate that. One word about me to Ginny - that goes for Hermione too - and our friendship is over. Ginny and I are through. She has grown into a manipulative and resentful woman, and I am not sad that it's over. You need to accept it and move on, just as much as she does. If you can't do that, tell me now. Otherwise, you need to know that I'm not kidding."
"I'm sorry, Harry, for whatever I contributed to her manipulation in the past. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't."
When Harry returned to their office after his discussion with Ron, Draco knew something had happened.
"Hey, Harry, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just laid it all out for Ron is all."
Draco wasn't sure what that meant, though he thought he had a good idea. "What did you say?"
"Mind if we don't talk about it right now?"
"Not at all. But we'll go out after work."
"I think I'd rather just go home and have a quiet meal, think things through. I don't really feel like going out. Rain check, though?"
"Nope."
"Look, Draco, I appreciate --"
"No, Harry. I don't mean to drag you out to some pub unwillingly. I heard what you said, and you want to stay in. But I can see this is difficult for you, so I'm proposing that you not just go back to your flat and brood. Come over to the Manor, and we'll have supper in, where we can talk about what a prat Weasley is, have a few pints, and then you can Floo home. Sound good?"
Harry's gratitude was evident in his features. He visibly relaxed and a sad, resigned sort of smile crossed his lips. "Yeah. I think that sounds really good."
"That's settled then. Now, we have a case or ten to solve! Let's get at it."
"Alright, Potter. It's the weekend. Let's go."
"Give me half an hour. I just want to finish up this paperwork before we go."
Draco put his palm on the pile of papers on Harry's desk to get his attention. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were stalling. The paperwork will be here Monday morning. There's nothing here that can't wait until then. Besides," he narrowed his eyes knowingly at his partner, "you hate paperwork. You're not fooling me."
"I'm not trying --"
Draco interrupted him with a laugh. "Harry, look at me. Slytherin, remember? It's in my nature to observe people. You're stalling. Now let's go." He knew that Harry was postponing the discussion about Weasley. "Harry, delaying the inevitable won't make it go away, as much as you want it to. We're going to have supper and talk about this, and you will feel better for it. I promise I won't bite." He smirked and leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear. "Unless you want me to." Harry turned the most delicious shade of pink at those words, and Draco felt his stomach flip.
"Cute," Harry said. "I think I'll forego the biting tonight." He got up from his desk, grabbed his cloak and wand and leaned in to whisper back in Draco's ear. "But thanks for the offer. I might take a rain check." Then he walked out ahead of Draco towards the Floo. It was Draco's turn to turn pink.
Holding back a groan, Draco thought, This could be a long night.
As Draco excused himself to talk to the house-elves, Harry waited in the sitting room. This was the first time he had been back to the Manor since showing up there a week after Voldemort's downfall to return Draco's wand. It looked vastly different from the last time he saw it, but that didn't stop the flow of memories that came flooding back to him.
He stood up and began pacing before settling by the bay window overlooking the grounds. It really was quite spectacular. He could see why Draco spoke so fondly of it. Before today, he hadn't really thought about the Manor except as his own temporary prison and the place where Voldemort and his Death Eaters resided. Harry gave an involuntary shudder at the memory.
"Are you cold?" Draco asked as he re-entered the room.
"No," Harry replied, a little startled. "I was just remembering."
He knew he didn't have to say any more. Draco's eyes darkened. "Oh, Harry, I didn't think. I'm sorry." He looked sorry. "Why don't we go to my flat instead?"
Harry smiled. "No, Draco, this is your home, and I appreciate you inviting me into it. I just ... well, it will just take a little time to adjust."
"Yeah ... it took a while for me to feel comfortable here again. I kept seeing him everywhere. And the Death Eaters. And Greyback." Draco winced as he said the name. "As soon as I could, I redecorated everything. I wanted to get rid of everything he had touched, but of course I couldn't. I kept our family heirlooms, some things magically attached to the place, and a few things that reminded me of my parents. But I changed every room."
"To cleanse it," Harry said knowingly. He had done the same thing with Grimmauld Place, wanting to remove all traces of the Order and the fact that it had been the Headquarters of a war movement.
"Yeah."
"Did it work?" Harry asked, knowing that with all his good intentions, he still couldn't completely eliminate the reminders.
"No," Draco replied, "but it helped."
"I'm glad."
"Are you sure you're okay being here?"
"It's your home and you invited me here. Of course I'm okay." Harry was pleased to see the smile that spread across Draco's face. Harry was afraid he may have insulted him. "Besides, this view is gorgeous."
"Isn't it though? I spent a lot of time wandering the grounds as a boy, and as a father with Scorpius. It holds a lot of good memories for me."
"I'm glad that Voldemort didn't completely ruin this place for you." Draco looked at him curiously. "Family is important. You have roots, Draco. Your family goes back centuries, and this home is a big link to your past. I'm glad you never let it go, for your sake as well as your son's. Scorpius is a lucky boy to have that connection to his family. And he's lucky to have a father like you."
Harry was a bit surprised at his own words. He hadn't, after all, meant to get all maudlin, but the lack of his own connection to his family just seemed to creep in. He supposed it had a lot to do with the end of his marriage, and the tension between him and Ron. The Weasleys had been his adoptive family since he was a boy, but he felt a huge wedge there now. He hadn't felt this lonely in a very long time.
Shaking those thoughts away, he turned back to see a stunned Draco staring at him. "What?"
"That was the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Thank you."
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," Harry said, wanting to lighten the mood. "So what's for dinner?"
While they waited for dinner to be served, Draco watched Harry closely. He knew that the memories of Voldemort had inundated him when they had arrived - how could he have forgotten? But there was more to it. When he had talked about family, roots, connections, Draco could hear sadness below the surface. Of course, Harry had never known family, except those stupid Muggles. He still had a mental note in the back of his mind to do something about that, but it could wait. Then it came to him. Of course! The Weasleys had been his family, even before he married the weaselette. He remembered Harry talking about spending Christmases there when they were in school.
Now, with his marriage over and his friendship with Weasel and Granger tenuous at best, and his children away at school, Harry must feel quite alone.
Careful, a voice in the back of his mind warned him. Draco already knew he was attracted to his partner - his straight partner - but this was new. Now he wanted to comfort him, help him through whatever this was. But it was dangerous territory. Not only did Harry not know about that, but he was his partner. Draco couldn't risk others finding out. He chose to ignore the voice warning him about his own heart, though. Right now, Harry's needed healing.
"So," Draco began, "what happened today?"
Harry tensed immediately. "Can we talk about it after dinner?"
"We could, but I suspect you'd enjoy your meal better if you've already got it off your chest. You look wound up so tight, you're ready to let loose any second."
Harry turned to stare out the window again. In that moment he looked so young and so fragile, that Draco's heart ached for him. He wanted desperately to hold the other man in his arms, but didn't know what sort of reaction that would solicit. And they hadn't been friends (is that what they were now?) for very long, so it might seem out of place. He settled for moving over to the window and putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. Thankfully, Harry didn't pull away.
"The Weasleys are my only family," he began. Ah. So Draco had been right. "Ron is like a brother to me, and his parents ... well, they've always treated me as one of their own, especially Molly. But now ... with the divorce looming, I don't know what'll happen."
"Is this because of Ginny or Ron?" Draco asked. "Because it seems to me that it was only after you talked to Ron today that you became this upset."
"It's both. You see, Ron had been feeding Ginny information about me ... about work. She went behind my back to Ron and Hermione, and they agreed to keep an eye on me."
Draco's blood, he was sure, had started to boil in his veins. "They did what?" he asked ominously.
"Yeah," Harry said, still not looking at him. "Ginny didn't like me being an Auror. Well, she did at first, but then somewhere along the way, she decided that it would be best to have me work a desk job. Or at least something less risky."
"And Ron?"
"Well, Hermione told him that she wouldn't be too disappointed if he stopped working in the field so much either. So Ron had it from both sides, though at least Hermione wasn't going behind his back."
"But she wasn't being honest with you, either."
"No, she wasn't. So Ron started hinting about things. Then I noticed that Ginny seemed to know stuff about work, whether I told her or not." He finally turned to look at Draco, and the blonde had to hold back a gasp. He had never seen Harry looking so ... defeated. "I stopped telling her about anything dangerous, because it inevitably led to a fight, so I guess she thought she'd get the information from elsewhere."
"Ron." Draco was a little sorry that he wouldn't be seeing the weasel until Monday.
"Yes, Ron. It got really bad, Draco. He was keeping tabs on how many times we went in without backup, and the day I went to Kingsley was the final straw. I didn't trust him any more. I couldn't talk to him, and I found that I had started second-guessing myself before acting, because a fleeting thought of, "What if Ginny finds out about this?" would go through my mind. I knew I couldn't work with him any more, so I asked for a new partner."
"Personally, I don't think I could have waited as long as you did."
"Yeah, well, I thought that would have been the end of it."
"And it wasn't?"
"Nope. He kept telling her what was going on. I'd come home and she'd ask me what had happened that day. I told her some stuff, but not all of it. It was clear to me that she already knew everything. Then, after that day when we captured those eleven blokes in one shot, she knew before I got home. And that was it. You know the rest. She gave me an ultimatum. My job or her."
"And you chose your job." It wasn't a question.
"Well, I had this new partner that was depending on me," he said with a grin.
"Oh, Harry! You chose me over the weaselette! I'm so flattered!" he said, batting his eyelashes.
"Yeah, well, you're prettier than her these days." He did NOT just say that! "It's amazing how unattractive a person gets when they are so manipulative and deceitful, isn't it?" Draco, unable to speak, simply nodded. "Well Ginny doesn't look so good to me any more. Not at all."
"Well," Draco finally recovered, "when you're comparing her to such a dazzling partner such as myself, it's hard not to pale in comparison."
"Too true," Harry said with a smile, but not a hint of humour in his voice.
"Harry --"
"We is serving supper in the dining room, Master Malfoy, sir," a house-elf interrupted. Draco took a breath, his mind returning from wherever it had just been. He had almost said ... Oh, God.
"Thank you," he said, relieved that he hadn't said anything stupid. "We will be in shortly."
"As you wish," the elf said, and he bowed and left the room.
Regaining his composure, Draco looked again at Harry. "So what happened today?"
"Today ... right," Harry said. Grinning, he looked up at Draco. "Ron's jealous of you."
"What?" Draco asked, wondering where that came from.
"Yeah. He said that he figures you are my best mate now, not him."
"And?"
"And what?"
"What did you say to that?"
"I told him that not everything needs to be a competition."
"Interesting."
"What is?"
"You avoided the question."
"It wasn't a question. It was an accusation."
"Semantics, Potter. What if I ask you the question directly? Will you answer me?"
"What are you on about?"
"Am I your best mate?" Draco asked. What the hell - why not ask?
Harry furrowed his brows for a moment before answering. "I suppose, right at this moment, you are," he replied, looking up at Draco. "But it's more than that. You are more than that."
Draco tried to prevent a grin from spreading all over his face. Don't read too much into that, the voice in his head said. "Meaning?" was all he could trust himself to say without his voice giving away something.
"Well, I don't know how to say it. There's some sort of connection there, you know? I mean ... I think it's always been there, only we used to direct anger at each other. Now ... well, now we don't. I think we work well together, but not just because of our training and experience, and not just because we're both Aurors, but because we get each other, you know?"
"Yeah, Harry, I do."
Harry smiled at him. "You do? So I'm not crazy? I'm not imagining things?"
"No, Harry, you're not. There's definitely something there." If you only knew.
"Good. I thought maybe I was going round the twist or something."
"Oh, you are - don't kid yourself," Draco told him seriously. "Just not about this."
That earned him a punch in the arm. "Prat."
"So once you told the weasel that I mean more to you than life itself, what then?" Draco prompted, amazed that his words came out without his voice shaking.
"Oh, I would never tell Ron that. That information is for your ears only, honey," he replied and winked. Draco's heart started racing. This isn't happening. He isn't flirting with me. He didn't just wink at me and call me 'honey'.
"Good. I wouldn't want you to ruin your reputation."
"Oh, I could do worse."
"I might remind you that you did do worse."
Harry snorted. "Point. So anyway, long story short, I told Ron that, even though he's my best mate, I can't have him reporting to his sister - or anyone else - about me."
"What did he say?"
"He said he wouldn't."
"Ha!"
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I said. See? You really do get me, honey." Harry flashed him a smile that lit up his entire face. Draco thought he would melt on the spot. "Anyway, I told him that he would, he did, and for all I know, he continues to report to her. And if I hear tell that he ever does it again, our friendship is over."
"You said that to him?"
"I did. He said it wouldn't happen again, and I told him it had better not, and then I left."
"And now you feel guilty."
"How did you know?"
"Because I know you, honey."
"It's just ... he's like family."
"I know, Harry, but sometimes families aren't all they're cracked up to be. Hell, look at mine!"
"Don't say that!" Harry admonished him. "Your father may have been a right bastard to everyone else, and he made some phenomenally bad choices, but he loved you. And you know your mother loved you. No matter their faults, Draco, they were your parents and they loved you. And I can see how much you love Scorpius. I'm sure he loves you just as much."
"Well, what's not to love?" Harry laughed, which was just the reaction Draco had been hoping for. They were right back where they started, and Harry needed some cheering up.
"Harry?"
"Mmm?"
"Ron's an idiot. He should never have betrayed your trust that way, and I hope for your sake he's learned his lesson and comes round. I know you value his friendship, and his family means a lot to you. But if he doesn't, I'd be happy to --"
"Aww ... you'll be my family?" Harry asked in an artificially sweet voice, batting his eyelashes hopefully at him.
Draco was knocked back but just how close to the truth that statement was. "Er ... I was going to say that I'd be happy to arrange for a few well-placed and undetectable curses to befall him."
"Oh, well, I suppose if you must."
"What?"
"If you insist."
"You wouldn't try to stop me?"
"Hell no! In fact, I might help you out there."
"You know what, Harry?"
"What Draco?"
"I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Quoting Muggle movies now? What has the world come to?"
"I don't know, but I think I like you more and more every day."
"Thanks," Harry said, finally swinging his legs off the window ledge. "Feeling's mutual." He got to his feet, gave Draco a peck on the cheek and asked, "So, shall we go have supper?"
Harry sat across the very long dining room table watching Draco. He wasn't sure what was happening between them, but it felt right. He hadn't been kidding when he said that there was more between them than just friendship. He had felt it for so long, but he had never really thought about it before. He was apprehensive about saying anything when Draco had asked, but then it all just came out. And he had been pleasantly surprised to find that Draco agreed with him.
And he was being so ... nice to Harry. Not in a patronizing sort of way, or even any out-of-character way. He was still snarky, sarcastic and very much a Slytherin, but Harry found that it wasn't in a nasty way. In fact, it was rather endearing, and he wouldn't have wanted him any other way. Wait a minute! Where did that thought come from? He didn't want Draco in any way. Did he?
He continued to watch his partner as he ate, replaying their earlier conversations through his mind.
"Either I have something on my face or I'm just too irresistible. Which is it?" Draco asked.
"What?"
"You're staring, Potter."
"Am I?"
"Yes, you are. So, do I have something on my face?"
"Besides the usual -- eyes, nose, mouth and self-important sneer? Nope."
"Ah ... witty Potter. Who knew?"
"Well, you know ... I try."
"So I'm just too dashing for words, then?"
"What?"
"You were staring, Potter, remember? Keep up. Obviously there was nothing unusual on my face, so you must just have been captivated by my good looks."
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, that's it. Those grey eyes just pull me in and I can't get back out again." Then he blew Draco a kiss. What am I doing? Draco had looked at him oddly when he called him honey, and again now that he blew him a kiss, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact ... No, I'm imagining things, reading something into nothing.
They had a great evening, eventually returning to the sitting room for an after-supper brandy. They chatted about lots of things, and very few were work-related. Draco was surprised to find that they didn't even avoid the more dangerous topics, which they always had done in the past. It seemed that all barriers had been dropped, and they could finally talk freely. Even about Lucius, Voldemort, and their own volatile relationship in school.
Harry told him all about being 'inside' Voldemort's mind, and witnessing what Draco had done. He had begun to apologize, but Harry stopped him, explaining that he had also seen the anguish in Draco's eyes, and knew that he had had no choice. He explained about being on the Astronomy Tower the night of Dumbledore's death as well. He didn't blame him for anything -- not even the disaster that had been their sixth year. Harry, for reasons unfathomable to Draco, had forgiven him for ... well, for everything. He was overwhelmed, but Harry would have none of that, waving it all off and telling Draco that he had only done what he felt he had to. He wouldn't have made the same choices, but many people probably would have, so Draco should learn to forgive himself.
For his part, Draco had forgiven Harry for nearly killing him in sixth year, since he had been about to throw an Unforgiveable at him. Harry's eyes still had a look of such deep anguish and regret that he couldn't comprehend. He had been asking for it, besides which Harry - by his own admission - hadn't even realized what the curse would do. But he still felt so terribly guilty, and it had taken quite a lot of Draco's calming words to get him to shut up about it. He had gone on to say that if Harry expected him to accept that he was forgiven, then Draco had every right to expect the same in return. Harry laughed and mumbled something about 'Bloody Slytherins', but in the end agreed.
And every once in a while, Harry would call him honey. Or wink at him. And at dinner he had blown him a kiss. Even though he knew his partner was just joking around, it was all Draco could do not to get up and give him a good snogging right then and there.
He excused himself to use the loo, and splash some water on his face. The evening had turned out to be nothing like he had expected. Hoped for, perhaps, but never dreamt it would happen. But then, what was happening? Probably nothing. He was reading more into things than there really was. Sure, Harry had said that they were more than friends, but what did that really mean? They had a connection, but that didn't mean ...
He dried off his face and returned to find Harry asleep on his sofa, glasses askance and brandy snifter precariously perched on his knee. Draco smiled and removed the glass from Harry's hand, then pulled his legs up onto the sofa, so he was lying down properly. He didn't wake. Then he removed Harry's glasses, set them on the coffee table, and covered him with a blanket. Unable to resist, he brushed Harry's hair off his forehead, and placed a gentle kiss on his scar.
"Good night, Harry."
As he was leaving the room, he heard Harry move and mumble, "G'night, honey."
Harry woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and cinnamon. "Mmm," he groaned as he stretched out on ... a sofa?
"Morning, sunshine," Draco teased him.
Ah, Draco's sofa. "Morning, honey," Harry said as he sat up. Draco rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite hold back a bemused smile. Good, it wasn't just the alcohol. Well, Harry thought, there really hadn't been much of that the night before anyway. Just good friends and good conversation. "I need to use the washroom," he grumbled. "And I need a toothbrush."
"You are welcome to have a shower while you're at it."
"Thanks, but I've nothing to wear." He caught ... was that a leer? He felt his face go pink.
"We may not be the exact same size, but I'm sure I can find you something in my wardrobe that would suffice. Here, I'll show you where everything is." Draco led him to his bedroom, showed him the en suite, gave him towels, a fresh toothbrush, and told him to take his time in the shower while Draco chose an outfit for him.
"Thanks," Harry grumbled again, then went into the washroom.
Standing under the shower, Harry replayed the events of the night before in his mind. As his morning erection twitched back into full hardness at the memories, he took it in hand and began to stroke himself. Closing his eyes, he imagined a blonde-haired, grey-eyed Slytherin calling out his name.
As he came, Harry had to use every ounce of self-restraint not to call out Draco's name in response. Oh, God. More than friends, indeed.
A few days later, Harry and Draco found themselves at a dead end in one of their more high-profile cases. The daughter of a prominent and wealthy Muggle from Wales had been kidnapped and held for ransom. The ransom had been paid and the daughter returned, but there had been no arrests.
There was plenty of evidence in the form of residual magic left at the scene, so they knew the kidnapping had been perpetrated by someone from the wizarding world, but very few other leads were to be found. The case had been assigned to them, knowing that Draco had connections with the wealthy, and Harry had extensive knowledge of Muggle culture. Yet between them, they had run all their leads to the same empty conclusion.
"Something about this case is gnawing at the back of my mind," Draco complained. "There's something familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it."
"There aren't any open cases of this kind on record. We checked that."
"Not here."
"Not anywhere in Europe," Harry corrected. "I had Frances run it through the International Aurors' Network for any similarities, but there were none."
"What about closed cases?"
"You mean someone who might have already served time?"
"Mm-hmm. We checked as far back as a year for recently released prisoners, but what if the person had been lying low for a while?"
"Or maybe more recent cases haven't been reported," Harry suggested.
"Exactly. After all, the girl was returned to her family."
"Frances has left for the day already," Harry reminded him.
"Well then, there's nothing else for it."
"We wait until tomorrow?"
"Hell no!" Draco declared. "You can if you wish, but I'm going down to the Archives."
"As if I'd let you take all the glory for breaking this case!"
"Well then, Potter, it looks like you'll have to come with me."
"Alas, my busy social schedule shall suffer once again because of my workaholic partner," Harry sighed.
"Oh, you love me and you know it!" Draco winked and walked towards the lift.
"Yeah, well ... what can I say? I'm a sucker for punishment."
"That's odd. No one's here," Harry observed as they entered the Office of Archival Records.
"Probably just went to the loo. Come on then."
"We should wait."
Draco looked around in mock confusion, then back at Harry. "Who are you and what have you done with my partner?"
Harry rolled his eyes and followed Draco into the room, past the sparsely-furnished reading area, and into the bowels of the Ministry's historical records.
"Merlin, this place is huge!" Harry gasped.
"Haven't you ever been in here?" Draco asked. "You've worked for the Ministry for twenty years! You can't tell me you've never had to pull an old case file."
"Nah, we'd usually just requisition the file while we kept busy with other leads, then come down here to view it. We never had to go past the reading area."
"Well, Auror Potter, welcome to the Archives!"
"Hermione would wet herself if she saw this place," Harry thought aloud.
"Mmm, as pleasant an image as that is, perhaps we should get to work."
They spent the better part of two hours narrowing their search down to about forty possible cases, then another hour pulling those files and sorting them by priority. They brought the files back to the reading area, sat themselves on the sofa, and set to work.
A faint beeping noise sounded in the background. "Did you hear that?" Harry asked, his Auror instincts kicking in as he set down his file and pulled out his wand.
"Yeah," Draco replied, doing the same.
Suddenly the door to the Archives shut with a loud clunk, and they were plunged into total darkness. Harry could feel Draco's hand on his arm, alerting him to his presence, but not making any noise.
"Lumos," he heard Draco whisper. Nothing happened. "Lumos," Draco tried again.
Harry tried as well, but with no better results. "Why is it so dark in here?" Harry asked.
"Perhaps because the lights are out?"
"Very amusing, Malfoy."
"I think they've locked down the office," Draco said after a short while, when they had determined that there didn't seem to be anyone else present.
"What?" Harry asked.
"I heard some rumblings recently about some extra security, after-hours something or other."
"Now you tell me?" Harry said in exasperation.
"Yes, well, I hadn't really thought about it, and I didn't see anything official," Draco offered by way of explanation. "Let's just Apparate out of here."
Apparition didn't work. Nor did any other spell they tried. It didn't seem that they were in any imminent danger, however. Just locked in the Archives.
"Shit!" Harry called out in exasperation. "The security must ward against spell usage. Shit, shit, shit!"
"I should have known better."
"Yeah, well, no use dwelling on the obvious."
"I wasn't dwelling, Potter. I was observing."
"Well, perhaps you could observe us a way out of here, Malfoy?"
"You're the bloody Saviour. Isn't that your job?"
"Nope. I quit that gig ages ago."
"Gig? Did you just say gig?"
Harry ignored him. "I'm afraid you'll just have to settle for regular old Auror Potter now."
"Oh, Harry, you are anything but regular."
"Why, Draco, flattery will get you everywhere!"
"Even out of here?"
"Perhaps not. But it will get you far anyway."
"Well, since out of here is where I want to get for now, why don't we try working on that?"
"Smashing idea, that."
Harry just knew Draco had rolled his eyes. "I saw that, you know."
"Let's just try to figure a way out of here, okay?"
They managed to make their way to the door, but found that it wouldn't open - not that they expected otherwise. "I think we're stuck here, Draco."
"What was your first clue?"
"Hmm ... the lack of available escape?"
"Don't sound so dramatic, Potter. We're at the Ministry, not held captive somewhere."
"True."
"At least there's a loo," Draco offered.
"All the amenities of home, I see," Harry commented dryly.
Hours - or at least it seemed like hours - passed, they were still unable to perform any magic, and all amusing banter had long ago ceased. Eyes heavy from reading for hours, Harry removed his glasses and closed them.
He awoke with a start, a warm body nestled on top of his. Draco's warm body. Unsure how, but not at all displeased that they had ended up this way, Harry reluctantly decided he'd better wake up his partner.
"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up."
"Five more minutes," Draco grumbled, squirming deliciously on top of Harry. Oh, God, Harry thought as his body reacted to the movement. He didn't miss the fact that Draco's body was reacting in much the same manner as his own. And then ... oh, God ... Draco started planting lazy kisses on his chest, his neck, his chin, and the corner of his mouth, just before he suddenly stopped and tensed up.
"Um ... Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Draco said as he attempted to jump up.
Harry tightened his grip on him, and held Draco's body tightly against his own. "I'm not," he growled before running his hands through Draco's hair and pulling him down into a rough kiss. He could feel Draco moaning in response, and his hips lifted up of their own accord, rubbing their erections together.
Their tongues battled for supremacy, both of them wanting control. With each swirl of Draco's tongue against his own, waves of pleasure shot through Harry like he had never felt before. It was perfect. Draco's body was pressing against his own, his hips thrusting and circling, rubbing their cocks together.
Before long, Draco pulled back from their kiss to cry out, "So close ... so ..."
Harry felt his own orgasm rip through him and he heard Draco's name fall from his lips while in the distance he registered the sound of his own name echoing through the room.
"Fuck," Draco whispered as he rested his head on Harry's chest again.
"Not just yet," Harry replied. "I need some time to recover first."
They both laughed at that, and Harry held Draco close to him, planting soft kisses on his head as their breathing returned to normal.
"I've been wanting this for so long," Draco admitted.
"You've been wanting to get locked up in a room, unable to perform magic and with no way out?"
"Shut up, Harry, and be serious for a minute."
"Sorry," he said, lifting Draco's face above his own. "I have, too," Harry whispered and pulled him in for another kiss. This time the kiss was more relaxed, less urgent. Harry traced Draco's lips with his tongue slowly, lovingly, and moaning his pleasure, finally slid it into Draco's welcoming mouth. The kiss lasted almost forever and yet not nearly long enough, before Harry felt his body begin to respond again.
He pulled away from the kiss and groaned grudgingly, "I think we'd better stop now before we get too carried away. Someone could come in here at any moment."
Draco sniggered. "I believe we've already done that."
"Ha ha!" Harry slapped him on the arse. "I meant someone might arrive at any moment to get us out of here."
"While I appreciate your optimism, Harry, how do you reckon that will happen?"
"Well, I actually did have plans tonight, and --"
"Oh." Draco's body tensed up. "Had a hot date, did you?" Harry thought he heard a hint of irritation in Draco's voice.
"No," he said as he wrapped his arms reassuringly around Draco and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Just dinner with Ron and Hermione."
"Oh." Harry smiled as he felt Draco's body relax once again.
"Since I didn't call them, they'll be wondering why I just didn't show up, so it's possible they'll come looking for me."
"Or the weasel could just see you in the morning."
"Possibly, but I doubt it. We've been friends for a long time, and I always call if I can't make it. Even if Ron figured I was okay, Hermione would never let it go without making sure."
"So ..."
"What?"
"So ... we just wait?"
"I suppose. It's not as if we can read anything."
"Oh, reading was the furthest thing from my mind," Draco growled as he started planting kisses on Harry's neck again.
"Draco ... oh, God, that feels so good." He felt more than heard Draco chuckle. "But we really should ... mmm, oh, yeah ... we should wait until we ... oh God ... until we get out of here ..." He couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped.
"So this wasn't just some one-off?" Draco asked. "Desperate times, extenuating circumstances?"
Harry felt his face flush, and was glad of the cover of darkness. "It was desperate alright, but not in that way. I meant it when I said that I've wanted this for a long time too."
"But ... you're straight."
Sitting up, Harry chuckled. "The evidence would suggest otherwise," he said.
Suddenly, they heard the door open and felt the wards lift. Instinctively they reached for their wands.
"Harry! Malfoy!" they heard Ron's voice call. "Are you two in there?"
"Oh, great!" Draco groaned. "Weasel to the rescue. We'll never live this down."
Harry cast a Cleaning Spell before responding, and felt the magic wash over him. The wards were down.
"Lumos," Draco said, illuminating the tip of his wand.
"Over here, Ron," Harry called out. "How'd you find us?"
Ron walked over to where they were and took in their dishevelled look. "When you didn't show up, I sent an owl, and I tried Floo calling you." He looked over at Draco. "Hell, Hermione even tried calling Malfoy here, but when no one had seen either one of you, we figured something went wrong. There's a team out looking for you right now."
Harry caught Draco's eye, and knew that he was holding in his laughter just as much as Harry, probably thinking about what they had just been doing while a team of Aurors was out on the hunt for them.
"Laugh it up, guys, because it'll be everyone else laughing at your expense when they find out you were in the Archives the whole time."
"Really, Weasley, we couldn't help it that the doors locked and we couldn't get out."
"Oh, really? Had you checked in properly, the room would have recorded your magical signature and allowed you to leave. As it was, there was no record of your visit, so the security locked down at eight o'clock." He looked at them and rolled his eyes. "If you two ever bothered to read the memos that get circulated, you would've known this was the new protocol, as of about a month ago."
Harry looked at Draco, who suddenly could no longer hold in his laughter. "But we're always so good at following protocol," he joked. Even Ron laughed at that.
Then Ron shocked Harry. "So, Malfoy, I take it you haven't eaten, since you've been stuck in here with this git all night?"
"Ever the observant one, Weasley."
"Well, I reckon we've enough food to feed a Quidditch team, so you're welcome to join us." Harry's jaw dropped.
Draco hesitated for a moment before answering. Harry suspected that he was also in a bit of shock. "Thanks, Weasley, I don't mind if I do."
"Great!" Ron said, leading the way out. "I'll go on ahead and let the others know you're okay, so they can call off the hunt. I'd suggest you make yourselves scarce. You'll catch enough of it in the morning. Then give me a chance to get home and warn 'Mione that I'm bringing home a stray, and meet us in say half an hour?"
"Thanks, mate," Harry said, slapping Ron on the back in appreciation. "We'll see you in half an hour at your flat."
They quickly gathered up the material they had been researching before the lights had gone out, and placed it in a reserve tray for them to continue in the morning.
"Well, I suppose the weasel has come round then?" Draco asked.
"I'm not really sure what just happened there."
"Well, I suggest we don't question it," Draco said reasonably. "So ... I have twenty-five minutes to mentally prepare for dinner with the Weasleys. Any ideas on how best to accomplish that?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Mmm, I've a few. How about we finish what we started?" he asked as he pulled Draco's body up against his own.
"Finish? In that short a time? Potter, you disappoint me."
"Oh, alright then, we can finish later on," he said grinning. "But I wouldn't mind getting in a little practice first."
"Lead the way, honey."
~ FIN
.