Chapter 07, Safe House
Sep. 10th, 2005 07:34 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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bottom_dracoTitle: Safe House
Summary: Harry and Draco are put in a safe house for their own protection. Post HBP, big spoilers!
Rating: NC-17
Author: minerva alistor
Where: my lj
skyehawke
Harry was trying to get over Draco, he really was. The only problem was that the main focus of his life right now was trying to catch the rogue Death Eaters who had tried to kill Draco. In what seemed another cruel twist of fate, Harry was named head of the team assigned to hunt down the two men. At least ten times a day, Harry was forced to look at files that contained photos of Draco. The words ‘Draco Malfoy’ seemed to leap at him from every surface of his desktop and from the lips of every colleague.
To say that he was relieved when he and Moody caught the two men on the thirteenth of January would be an understatement. Working on Lucius Malfoy’s detailed description of the Death Eater camp where he had been imprisoned, Harry and Moody set out alone to search the place for any clues that might have been left behind when the camp was vacated. To their great surprise, the two Death Eaters were there too, retrieving some powerful magical equipment they had left behind.
The two Death Eaters were highly skilled wizards; a fierce fight broke out between them, Harry and Moody. But upon seeing the men who had tortured Draco, Harry became so incensed he fought like a machine. It was not an easy victory—both Harry and Moody received not so minor injuries before it was over—but in the end, the good guys prevailed. Moody was so impressed with Harry’s fighting that he was raising the rafters at the Ministry for Harry to receive yet another medal for Outstanding Service.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Things moved quickly in the wizarding world. A trial was set for January 20th and Harry was a wreck. Not because he thought the Death Eaters would be set free—they had confessed to everything rather proudly, Harry thought. The trial was just a formality. He was a wreck because Draco would be there.
“Do I look ok?” Harry asked the twins. They were at Madame Malkin’s and Harry was standing in front of a tri-fold mirror, trying on his first custom-made robe.
Fred and George exchanged glances.
“It’s very…Scarlet Letter,” Fred replied.
“I was thinking Lord of the Rings. Very Aragorn.”
Harry’s face fell. The robe was floor length, black, fitted through the shoulders and chest with a slight flare at the waist.
“I look ridiculous!”
“No, mate, you look great. First time I’ve ever seen you look like a proper wizard. If you’d worn that when you fought Voldemort, he’d have died of fright,” Fred said.
“Or fallen in love with you, which I suppose would have killed him as well. Black’s your color, I think,” George finished.
Harry turned back and smoothed the garment over his chest. It fit him perfectly. He thought he looked all right, anyway.
He turned back to Fred and George.
“Are you sure I don’t look like a knob? What about my hair? Should I get it cut?”
The twins shook their heads.
“Harry, really, if I were a ponce, I’d be all over you. And your hair—I wouldn’t, mate. Ever since I’ve known you, no matter what you’ve ever done to it, it always looks the same.”
“Except that one time, remember George? When that lady butchered it?”
All three men shuddered. Harry turned back to the mirror and attempted to arrange his hair. He dropped his hands in defeat.
“Too right. It’s best to leave well enough alone,” Harry answered. “Alright, then, let me get this wrapped up and we’ll go. Thanks for helping me, guys.”
“No problem, Harry. But really, why waste your time on Malfoy when he is clearly a git? You know, Paul is rather charming…” Fred started.
“He’d be very keen to go on a date, I think,” George finished.
Harry slid the robe onto a hanger and glared at the twins. They had been pushing their new, ex-Slytherin employee on him ever since he and Harry met at the twin’s New Year’s party.
“No thanks, guys. I already told you, I’m—”
“In love with Draco,” the twins chorused. They batted their eyelashes and faked a swoon.
Harry raised his finger to his lips and let out a harsh shhhh. “Keep it down!”
“Sorry,” the twins mumbled in unison. Strangely, the smirks on their faces didn’t look sorry at all.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The day of the trial rolled around much more quickly than Harry would have liked. He got up hours early, having barely slept, showered and had tea. He dug out an old spell book and found a charm to get rid of the circles under his eyes and the spot that had risen on his nose overnight. He spelled his teeth a little too white in his nervousness, but then decided they looked quite nice against the black of his new robe. After pacing back and forth in his living room for half an hour (he was afraid to sit down lest he wrinkle himself) he finally couldn’t stand it anymore and Apparated to the Ministry.
The only other person there was Demerest, who was holed up in his office going through paperwork. Harry knocked at the door.
“Come in!”
“Hi, Jude. Is there anything you need help preparing for today? I thought I’d come in early, help out if I could.”
Demerest looked Harry up and down. The new robe was not lost on him, nor were the newly whitened teeth and hair that looked as if Harry had at least tried. He had never seen Harry so cleaned up.
“Is there something you’d like to talk to me about Potter?”
Harry looked totally surprised. “Um, no?”
Demerest squinted at Harry. “Alright then. Sure, you can help me get their internment papers ready. Save us some time getting them to Azkaban after the trial.”
Harry eagerly took a file and went to his desk.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry knew it was almost time when the other Aurors started filing in. The Aurors always attended every trial, whether they were directly involved in a case or not. They considered it a sign of solidarity.
Demerest came and took the file Harry had been working on and disappeared to the courtroom. Harry, his insides curdling, retreated to the loo. He enlarged one of the bathroom mirrors and checked himself at all angles. He spent several minutes spelling wrinkles out of his robe. He mussed his hair over and over, trying to hit on a particular mess that looked something like a style. By the time Moody came in to find him, he was very nearly puking.
“Potter!” Moody exclaimed. “What the bloody hell are you doing?”
Harry swirled around, pale and nervous.
“Um, just getting ready,” he squeaked.
Moody strode forward and turned Harry towards the full-length mirror. He placed a fatherly hand on Harry’s shoulder.
“Potter. You look great. You’re nineteen years old, in top condition, and for once, you’re dressed like a proper wizard. Malfoy will be most impressed, and if he’s not, then you should consider moving on.”
Harry gasped and whipped his head towards Moody.
“I-I-I d-dd-don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I knew the second time I visited that shack, Potter. My nose may be ugly, but it still works. The whole place reeked of sex. And the way the two of you looked at one another when you thought I wasn’t looking was like a bonfire. Very hard to miss.”
Harry smiled slightly.
“Draco looked at me...like that?”
“Yeah. But don’t get your hopes up, boy. I don’t know what went wrong between the two of you, but I know you haven’t seen him since you’ve been back. And his father is with him today.”
“He’s here?” Something huge spread its wings in Harry’s belly.
“Downstairs.”
Harry rushed towards the door. Before he left, he turned back to Moody.
“Do you think anyone else knows?”
“Demerest probably. But McElroy? No. You’re fine Potter.”
“Thanks, Moody.”
Harry disappeared out the door.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The courtroom was already quite crowded when Harry slipped inside. He hadn’t even taken two steps before his breath caught.
Draco always stood out in a crowd because of his hair, his beauty and his haughty arrogance. Light seemed to gather around him as if he were reflective somehow. He shone like a jewel amongst the rest of the crowd.
Or maybe Harry was just ridiculously in love.
Lucius Malfoy sat right next to Draco, hair just as white, features a thousand times more stern. Both Malfoys were in heavy, ornate black robes that made Harry’s robe, which had cost more than all of his others combined, look as if he’d picked it up at a second hand shop. Lucius was staring at the Wizengamot, chin raised and defiant. It was no secret that several people felt he had gotten off far too easily, despite his assistance in rounding up the remaining Death Eaters. Draco’s eyes were downcast; his fingers twisted and turned in his lap.
The moment Harry entered the room, Draco’s eyes lifted. They locked with Harry’s across the room.
The two men stared at one another until Lucius Malfoy noticed and elbowed Draco in the ribs. Draco’s eyes hit the floor again, and Lucius sent a scathing look, complete with curled lip, in Harry’s direction.
Harry could not stop staring at Draco. The blond had put on a considerable amount of weight and, despite the circles under his eyes, he looked completely healthy. Harry looked at the circles, wondering if Draco’s nightmares had returned. Wondering if, now that Harry wasn’t there to hold him, Draco was having trouble sleeping again.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
The trial was over in less than two hours. After the convicted were taken from the courtroom, the spectators rose en masse and headed for the halls. Harry was pushing reporters aside left and right, saying “No comment” over and over, not even aware what he was being asked. He had to see Draco before he got away.
In the hall, the onslaught of media actually worked to his advantage. Several reporters were detaining Lucius, while Draco hung back in a corner. At first, Harry couldn’t understand why the reporters weren’t bothering Draco. Then he noticed that the blond had his wand out, and a small clump of photographers and journalists seemed to be nursing wounds and glaring at Draco hatefully. Harry couldn’t help but smile. He took a deep breath and propelled himself forward.
“Hi. How are you?” he whispered in Draco’s ear. He was dizzy at once, nearly swooning from Draco’s smell and the soft brush of blond hair against his lips.
Draco jumped away from Harry. “Potter!” he hissed. “How dare you sneak up on me!” He grabbed Harry’s arm and dragged him away. They ended up in a largely deserted corridor just down the way.
The two men stared at one another in silence for several seconds.
“What do you want?” Draco asked at last.
“Draco, I miss you so much. I broke up with Ginny—”
“I heard she broke up with you.”
“Whatever. I think about you all the time, I ache for you. Please, when can I see you?”
Draco looked from side to side, as if he expected someone to jump out at any moment. It wasn’t an unreasonable thought, considering whom he was talking to.
“This really isn’t the time. God only knows who is listening,” he whispered.
“You look tired. Are you sleeping okay? How is your mother?” Harry brushed his fingertip across the puffed flesh beneath Draco’s eyes.
“Potter, stop it! Anyone could see!”
“I don’t care, Malfoy. Don’t you get that yet?”
Before Draco could answer, people starting filling the hall, small groups at first, then a whole horde. A group of journalists spotted Harry and broke into a jog. Harry looked around and spotted a small office that was currently being used as a storage room for toilet supplies. He grabbed Draco and dragged him inside.
“Potter, what are you doing?”
“Draco, I can’t go on like this anymore. If we can’t talk here, where? When? Just tell me.”
Draco’s face softened. He took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.
“Harry, look, it’s more complicated –”
The door to the office flew open. Lucius Malfoy was there, eyes blazing and wild.
“What is going on here, Draco? These people tell me Potter dragged you in here. Is he bothering you?” His voice was calm, cold, belying the fire in his gaze.
Draco took a quick step back, away from Harry.
“No, father, he’s not. Harry and I were just trying to have a bit of privacy. Catch up a bit.”
“Well, I think that’s enough. You don’t have to defend him.”
“No, Dad, it’s not like that. We’re just—”
“Enough, I said. Let’s go. And you, Mr. Potter. If you ever attempt to contact my son again, I’ll see to it that you are reprimanded by your commanding officer. Do you understand?”
“Don’t threaten me, Malfoy, and stop bullying Draco. He’s old enough to make his own decisions. If he wants to talk to me, you won’t stop us.”
“Old enough, perhaps, but certainly not wise enough. Draco, tell him to leave you be.”
“Harry, leave it.”
“Draco, don’t let him—”
“Harry! I said leave it, for fuck’s sake!” Draco gave Harry a pleading look before turning to Lucius. “Let’s go, father.” Draco turned out the door. He was at once assaulted by journalists.
Lucius Malfoy took two steps forward so that he was almost nose-to-nose with Harry.
“You leave him be, Potter. If you try to get near him again, you’ll have me to deal with. Understand? He doesn’t want you. He’s been through a very trying time and –”
“You don’t scare me, Malfoy. And you don’t know what he wants.”
“I know because he told me. Oh yes, I know all about the safe house. He doesn’t love you. Now, as he said himself, leave it.”
“Father!” Draco shouted, tugging at Lucius’ sleeve. “Can we please just go?”
“Good day, Mister Potter,” Lucius said. He left Harry alone, mouth gaping and head spinning.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry didn’t even bother to try and get through the wall of reporters that had formed outside the door. Still reeling from Malfoy Sr. had said to him, he Disapparated home.
He sat on his sofa, hands folded in his lap, staring off into space for a while, thinking about his encounter with the Malfoys. He couldn’t believe that Draco had told his father about the safe house.
He rose from the couch and unbuttoned his robe on his way to the bedroom. He needed a shower. Maybe it would help clear his head. The new robe fell to the floor in a heap. He turned the water on and stepped inside.
Draco had seemed open until Lucius arrived. But he had told Harry to leave it alone, leave him alone. Harry moved under the spray of the water and let it roll over his body. Draco didn’t want him. Wasn’t that obvious? He thought about what Moody said, what Lucius said. Was he the only one who couldn’t accept the truth? He laced his fingers across the back of his neck and hung his head with a heavy sigh.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry got to work early the next morning. He hadn’t slept at all the night before and was in a foul, foul mood. He was gritting his teeth, shoving all the files related to Draco in one of his bottom file cabinets, when he heard Demerest’s door swoosh open.
“Potter! In here! Now!”
Harry took a deep breath, ground his teeth fiercely one last time, and slammed the cabinet door.
“Yes?” he said at first sight of Demerest.
“Get in here and take a seat.”
Harry did. Trying to remain calm, he clasped his hands in a tight ball in his lap. The muscle in his jaw was working over time.
Demerest sat down behind his desk and looked at Harry. He picked up a piece of paper from his desk.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Why should I?” Harry cheeked.
“Because it concerns you.”
Harry said nothing.
“Lucius Malfoy was waiting for me when I arrived this morning. In a right bad mood, he was.”
“Yeah, well, maybe there’s something in the air.”
“He filed a complaint about you, Harry. Says you dragged Draco into a broom closet and forcefully interrogated him.”
“That’s bullocks!” Harry roared.
“Bullocks or not, it has to be investigated. And in the meantime, you’re suspended.”
“What?! You’re suspending me because some prat says—”
“Says you used your authority as an Auror to intimidate his son. Yes, I have to suspend you. It Ministry policy when this type of accusation is made.”
“Look, just call Draco in here, please. He’ll explain that I wasn’t doing anything, just trying to talk to him without six hundred people taking photos. I need to work, Jude. I need the distraction.”
“Frankly, Harry, I think you could use some time off. You’ve not been yourself since you got back. Some of your colleagues have even commented on it.”
Harry went red in the face.
“Oh really. Well they can sod off. I’m fine!”
Demerest gave him a hard look. “That’s enough, Potter. You’re on suspension, with pay, until further notice. If you feel, in the meantime, that you might like to speak with someone about anything, anything at all—”
“Are you suggesting I’m mental?” Harry roared again.
“Please let me know. Now good day.” Demerest started shuffling papers so that he wouldn’t have to look at Harry.
“You know what? That’s fine. Fine. And fuck you, too, Demerest. Don’t worry about calling me back. Because I quit.” Harry emphasized the last word by slamming his palm down on the desk.
“Now Harry, wait one second,” Demerest began.
Harry held up his hand. “Save it. I’m not fit to work, so I’m not working. Ever again. You have a good bloody day.”
Harry was gone with a bang.
Back at home, he slammed things around his apartment, breaking several items. He smashed pictures from past Ministry functions, threw his medals into the fireplace and started a roaring blaze. He thought briefly about Apparating to Malfoy Manor and giving Lucius Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy for that matter, a rather large piece of his mind. But by then, his flat was sweltering, and he was too tired. He put out the fire, opened a couple of windows, and plopped down on the couch. His medals gleamed, unharmed, from the hearth.
No one wanted him it seemed. Not Draco, not the Ministry, no one. And now, he didn’t even have anything to do to occupy his mind. He looked around the room at all the things he had broken, and silently began to repair them, one by one.
As he worked, Hedwig flew in the window with a loud squawk. She flew past the fireplace, reeled back from the dying embers there, and turned angry eyes at Harry. She swooped down, landing on his shoulder, and dug her talons in a little deeper than was strictly necessary.
“Ow! I’m sorry the fire was up. It’s not entirely unheard of, you know, it being winter and all. What is this?”
Harry took the little piece of parchment from Hedwig’s leg. It was a short message, messily written on a piece of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes stationary. They were inviting him to dinner. He jotted a hasty ‘yes’ on the parchment, gave Hedwig a treat, and sent her on her way.
“Better than sitting home all night,” he muttered.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
He showed up at the shop an hour later, freshly showered and changed. George was in the showroom, demonstrating some new merchandise for a crowd of kids. A loud farting noise sounded when Harry opened the door to step inside. Everyone broke out in laughter, but it died quickly when they recognized who it was.
“Harry! Good man!” Fred cried from behind the counter. He greeted Harry with an embrace. “How’s it going?”
“Not great. I got suspended from work today. So I sort of quit.”
“You know mate, you could have been a great wizard if you’d ever learned to keep that temper of yours in check,” Fred teased. “I’m sorry to hear that. I am. You alright?”
“Yeah, alright.”
“What happened?”
“Lucius Malfoy filed a complaint about me. Said I ‘interrogated Draco by force’ yesterday after the trial. Bloody bastard.”
As if on cue, Paul strolled out from the workroom at the back of the shop. His eyes met Harry’s at once.
Paul was an ex-Slytherin and blond, but that is where any similarity he had to Draco ended. He wasn’t an icy blond like Draco, but a warm blond, with curly golden hair, tanned skin and beautiful hazel eyes. His features were soft, making him look much younger than his seventeen years, and he was shorter than Draco, and much smaller in build. He was shy to boot, and blushed prettily at the drop of a hat. He was very attractive.
“Well, well! Hello Paul! Getting ready to head home then, are you?” Fred asked. He glanced quickly between Harry and his employee.
“Er, yes, I was. Done for the day,” Paul said, still looking at Harry from beneath his eyelashes. “Hello, Harry.”
“Hello, Paul.”
Harry smiled; the boy was sort of cute. And if Draco didn’t want him….
“Hey, we were going out to dinner. Why don’t you join us?” Harry asked the blond.
A loud bang erupted from where George was still showing off merchandise. When the three men looked over, his face was covered in black soot and he was staring in disbelief at Harry.
“Christ,” Fred muttered. “Let me go check on that git,” he mumbled. He gave Harry a wink as he walked away.
“So, you want to join us?” Harry asked again.
“Um, yes. I’d love to, if I wouldn’t be intruding.”
Harry smiled. “Not at all. How have you been? I haven’t seen you since New Year’s, wasn’t it?”
Paul smiled back. “Yes, it was. I’ve been doing well. Yourself?”
Before Harry could answer, Fred returned.
“Look, why don’t you two go on ahead. I’m going to have to work on George a bit. Blasted himself deaf. We made reservations at the Leaky. Paul, can you close up shop and we’ll meet you there in a bit? Excellent. See you there! Bye!” he said, waving madly as he steered George to the backroom.
Paul grinned at Harry. “Give me a second to get these people out and lock up?”
Harry grinned back. “Sure.”
Summary: Harry and Draco are put in a safe house for their own protection. Post HBP, big spoilers!
Rating: NC-17
Author: minerva alistor
Where: my lj
skyehawke
Harry was trying to get over Draco, he really was. The only problem was that the main focus of his life right now was trying to catch the rogue Death Eaters who had tried to kill Draco. In what seemed another cruel twist of fate, Harry was named head of the team assigned to hunt down the two men. At least ten times a day, Harry was forced to look at files that contained photos of Draco. The words ‘Draco Malfoy’ seemed to leap at him from every surface of his desktop and from the lips of every colleague.
To say that he was relieved when he and Moody caught the two men on the thirteenth of January would be an understatement. Working on Lucius Malfoy’s detailed description of the Death Eater camp where he had been imprisoned, Harry and Moody set out alone to search the place for any clues that might have been left behind when the camp was vacated. To their great surprise, the two Death Eaters were there too, retrieving some powerful magical equipment they had left behind.
The two Death Eaters were highly skilled wizards; a fierce fight broke out between them, Harry and Moody. But upon seeing the men who had tortured Draco, Harry became so incensed he fought like a machine. It was not an easy victory—both Harry and Moody received not so minor injuries before it was over—but in the end, the good guys prevailed. Moody was so impressed with Harry’s fighting that he was raising the rafters at the Ministry for Harry to receive yet another medal for Outstanding Service.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Things moved quickly in the wizarding world. A trial was set for January 20th and Harry was a wreck. Not because he thought the Death Eaters would be set free—they had confessed to everything rather proudly, Harry thought. The trial was just a formality. He was a wreck because Draco would be there.
“Do I look ok?” Harry asked the twins. They were at Madame Malkin’s and Harry was standing in front of a tri-fold mirror, trying on his first custom-made robe.
Fred and George exchanged glances.
“It’s very…Scarlet Letter,” Fred replied.
“I was thinking Lord of the Rings. Very Aragorn.”
Harry’s face fell. The robe was floor length, black, fitted through the shoulders and chest with a slight flare at the waist.
“I look ridiculous!”
“No, mate, you look great. First time I’ve ever seen you look like a proper wizard. If you’d worn that when you fought Voldemort, he’d have died of fright,” Fred said.
“Or fallen in love with you, which I suppose would have killed him as well. Black’s your color, I think,” George finished.
Harry turned back and smoothed the garment over his chest. It fit him perfectly. He thought he looked all right, anyway.
He turned back to Fred and George.
“Are you sure I don’t look like a knob? What about my hair? Should I get it cut?”
The twins shook their heads.
“Harry, really, if I were a ponce, I’d be all over you. And your hair—I wouldn’t, mate. Ever since I’ve known you, no matter what you’ve ever done to it, it always looks the same.”
“Except that one time, remember George? When that lady butchered it?”
All three men shuddered. Harry turned back to the mirror and attempted to arrange his hair. He dropped his hands in defeat.
“Too right. It’s best to leave well enough alone,” Harry answered. “Alright, then, let me get this wrapped up and we’ll go. Thanks for helping me, guys.”
“No problem, Harry. But really, why waste your time on Malfoy when he is clearly a git? You know, Paul is rather charming…” Fred started.
“He’d be very keen to go on a date, I think,” George finished.
Harry slid the robe onto a hanger and glared at the twins. They had been pushing their new, ex-Slytherin employee on him ever since he and Harry met at the twin’s New Year’s party.
“No thanks, guys. I already told you, I’m—”
“In love with Draco,” the twins chorused. They batted their eyelashes and faked a swoon.
Harry raised his finger to his lips and let out a harsh shhhh. “Keep it down!”
“Sorry,” the twins mumbled in unison. Strangely, the smirks on their faces didn’t look sorry at all.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The day of the trial rolled around much more quickly than Harry would have liked. He got up hours early, having barely slept, showered and had tea. He dug out an old spell book and found a charm to get rid of the circles under his eyes and the spot that had risen on his nose overnight. He spelled his teeth a little too white in his nervousness, but then decided they looked quite nice against the black of his new robe. After pacing back and forth in his living room for half an hour (he was afraid to sit down lest he wrinkle himself) he finally couldn’t stand it anymore and Apparated to the Ministry.
The only other person there was Demerest, who was holed up in his office going through paperwork. Harry knocked at the door.
“Come in!”
“Hi, Jude. Is there anything you need help preparing for today? I thought I’d come in early, help out if I could.”
Demerest looked Harry up and down. The new robe was not lost on him, nor were the newly whitened teeth and hair that looked as if Harry had at least tried. He had never seen Harry so cleaned up.
“Is there something you’d like to talk to me about Potter?”
Harry looked totally surprised. “Um, no?”
Demerest squinted at Harry. “Alright then. Sure, you can help me get their internment papers ready. Save us some time getting them to Azkaban after the trial.”
Harry eagerly took a file and went to his desk.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry knew it was almost time when the other Aurors started filing in. The Aurors always attended every trial, whether they were directly involved in a case or not. They considered it a sign of solidarity.
Demerest came and took the file Harry had been working on and disappeared to the courtroom. Harry, his insides curdling, retreated to the loo. He enlarged one of the bathroom mirrors and checked himself at all angles. He spent several minutes spelling wrinkles out of his robe. He mussed his hair over and over, trying to hit on a particular mess that looked something like a style. By the time Moody came in to find him, he was very nearly puking.
“Potter!” Moody exclaimed. “What the bloody hell are you doing?”
Harry swirled around, pale and nervous.
“Um, just getting ready,” he squeaked.
Moody strode forward and turned Harry towards the full-length mirror. He placed a fatherly hand on Harry’s shoulder.
“Potter. You look great. You’re nineteen years old, in top condition, and for once, you’re dressed like a proper wizard. Malfoy will be most impressed, and if he’s not, then you should consider moving on.”
Harry gasped and whipped his head towards Moody.
“I-I-I d-dd-don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I knew the second time I visited that shack, Potter. My nose may be ugly, but it still works. The whole place reeked of sex. And the way the two of you looked at one another when you thought I wasn’t looking was like a bonfire. Very hard to miss.”
Harry smiled slightly.
“Draco looked at me...like that?”
“Yeah. But don’t get your hopes up, boy. I don’t know what went wrong between the two of you, but I know you haven’t seen him since you’ve been back. And his father is with him today.”
“He’s here?” Something huge spread its wings in Harry’s belly.
“Downstairs.”
Harry rushed towards the door. Before he left, he turned back to Moody.
“Do you think anyone else knows?”
“Demerest probably. But McElroy? No. You’re fine Potter.”
“Thanks, Moody.”
Harry disappeared out the door.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The courtroom was already quite crowded when Harry slipped inside. He hadn’t even taken two steps before his breath caught.
Draco always stood out in a crowd because of his hair, his beauty and his haughty arrogance. Light seemed to gather around him as if he were reflective somehow. He shone like a jewel amongst the rest of the crowd.
Or maybe Harry was just ridiculously in love.
Lucius Malfoy sat right next to Draco, hair just as white, features a thousand times more stern. Both Malfoys were in heavy, ornate black robes that made Harry’s robe, which had cost more than all of his others combined, look as if he’d picked it up at a second hand shop. Lucius was staring at the Wizengamot, chin raised and defiant. It was no secret that several people felt he had gotten off far too easily, despite his assistance in rounding up the remaining Death Eaters. Draco’s eyes were downcast; his fingers twisted and turned in his lap.
The moment Harry entered the room, Draco’s eyes lifted. They locked with Harry’s across the room.
The two men stared at one another until Lucius Malfoy noticed and elbowed Draco in the ribs. Draco’s eyes hit the floor again, and Lucius sent a scathing look, complete with curled lip, in Harry’s direction.
Harry could not stop staring at Draco. The blond had put on a considerable amount of weight and, despite the circles under his eyes, he looked completely healthy. Harry looked at the circles, wondering if Draco’s nightmares had returned. Wondering if, now that Harry wasn’t there to hold him, Draco was having trouble sleeping again.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
The trial was over in less than two hours. After the convicted were taken from the courtroom, the spectators rose en masse and headed for the halls. Harry was pushing reporters aside left and right, saying “No comment” over and over, not even aware what he was being asked. He had to see Draco before he got away.
In the hall, the onslaught of media actually worked to his advantage. Several reporters were detaining Lucius, while Draco hung back in a corner. At first, Harry couldn’t understand why the reporters weren’t bothering Draco. Then he noticed that the blond had his wand out, and a small clump of photographers and journalists seemed to be nursing wounds and glaring at Draco hatefully. Harry couldn’t help but smile. He took a deep breath and propelled himself forward.
“Hi. How are you?” he whispered in Draco’s ear. He was dizzy at once, nearly swooning from Draco’s smell and the soft brush of blond hair against his lips.
Draco jumped away from Harry. “Potter!” he hissed. “How dare you sneak up on me!” He grabbed Harry’s arm and dragged him away. They ended up in a largely deserted corridor just down the way.
The two men stared at one another in silence for several seconds.
“What do you want?” Draco asked at last.
“Draco, I miss you so much. I broke up with Ginny—”
“I heard she broke up with you.”
“Whatever. I think about you all the time, I ache for you. Please, when can I see you?”
Draco looked from side to side, as if he expected someone to jump out at any moment. It wasn’t an unreasonable thought, considering whom he was talking to.
“This really isn’t the time. God only knows who is listening,” he whispered.
“You look tired. Are you sleeping okay? How is your mother?” Harry brushed his fingertip across the puffed flesh beneath Draco’s eyes.
“Potter, stop it! Anyone could see!”
“I don’t care, Malfoy. Don’t you get that yet?”
Before Draco could answer, people starting filling the hall, small groups at first, then a whole horde. A group of journalists spotted Harry and broke into a jog. Harry looked around and spotted a small office that was currently being used as a storage room for toilet supplies. He grabbed Draco and dragged him inside.
“Potter, what are you doing?”
“Draco, I can’t go on like this anymore. If we can’t talk here, where? When? Just tell me.”
Draco’s face softened. He took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.
“Harry, look, it’s more complicated –”
The door to the office flew open. Lucius Malfoy was there, eyes blazing and wild.
“What is going on here, Draco? These people tell me Potter dragged you in here. Is he bothering you?” His voice was calm, cold, belying the fire in his gaze.
Draco took a quick step back, away from Harry.
“No, father, he’s not. Harry and I were just trying to have a bit of privacy. Catch up a bit.”
“Well, I think that’s enough. You don’t have to defend him.”
“No, Dad, it’s not like that. We’re just—”
“Enough, I said. Let’s go. And you, Mr. Potter. If you ever attempt to contact my son again, I’ll see to it that you are reprimanded by your commanding officer. Do you understand?”
“Don’t threaten me, Malfoy, and stop bullying Draco. He’s old enough to make his own decisions. If he wants to talk to me, you won’t stop us.”
“Old enough, perhaps, but certainly not wise enough. Draco, tell him to leave you be.”
“Harry, leave it.”
“Draco, don’t let him—”
“Harry! I said leave it, for fuck’s sake!” Draco gave Harry a pleading look before turning to Lucius. “Let’s go, father.” Draco turned out the door. He was at once assaulted by journalists.
Lucius Malfoy took two steps forward so that he was almost nose-to-nose with Harry.
“You leave him be, Potter. If you try to get near him again, you’ll have me to deal with. Understand? He doesn’t want you. He’s been through a very trying time and –”
“You don’t scare me, Malfoy. And you don’t know what he wants.”
“I know because he told me. Oh yes, I know all about the safe house. He doesn’t love you. Now, as he said himself, leave it.”
“Father!” Draco shouted, tugging at Lucius’ sleeve. “Can we please just go?”
“Good day, Mister Potter,” Lucius said. He left Harry alone, mouth gaping and head spinning.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry didn’t even bother to try and get through the wall of reporters that had formed outside the door. Still reeling from Malfoy Sr. had said to him, he Disapparated home.
He sat on his sofa, hands folded in his lap, staring off into space for a while, thinking about his encounter with the Malfoys. He couldn’t believe that Draco had told his father about the safe house.
He rose from the couch and unbuttoned his robe on his way to the bedroom. He needed a shower. Maybe it would help clear his head. The new robe fell to the floor in a heap. He turned the water on and stepped inside.
Draco had seemed open until Lucius arrived. But he had told Harry to leave it alone, leave him alone. Harry moved under the spray of the water and let it roll over his body. Draco didn’t want him. Wasn’t that obvious? He thought about what Moody said, what Lucius said. Was he the only one who couldn’t accept the truth? He laced his fingers across the back of his neck and hung his head with a heavy sigh.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry got to work early the next morning. He hadn’t slept at all the night before and was in a foul, foul mood. He was gritting his teeth, shoving all the files related to Draco in one of his bottom file cabinets, when he heard Demerest’s door swoosh open.
“Potter! In here! Now!”
Harry took a deep breath, ground his teeth fiercely one last time, and slammed the cabinet door.
“Yes?” he said at first sight of Demerest.
“Get in here and take a seat.”
Harry did. Trying to remain calm, he clasped his hands in a tight ball in his lap. The muscle in his jaw was working over time.
Demerest sat down behind his desk and looked at Harry. He picked up a piece of paper from his desk.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Why should I?” Harry cheeked.
“Because it concerns you.”
Harry said nothing.
“Lucius Malfoy was waiting for me when I arrived this morning. In a right bad mood, he was.”
“Yeah, well, maybe there’s something in the air.”
“He filed a complaint about you, Harry. Says you dragged Draco into a broom closet and forcefully interrogated him.”
“That’s bullocks!” Harry roared.
“Bullocks or not, it has to be investigated. And in the meantime, you’re suspended.”
“What?! You’re suspending me because some prat says—”
“Says you used your authority as an Auror to intimidate his son. Yes, I have to suspend you. It Ministry policy when this type of accusation is made.”
“Look, just call Draco in here, please. He’ll explain that I wasn’t doing anything, just trying to talk to him without six hundred people taking photos. I need to work, Jude. I need the distraction.”
“Frankly, Harry, I think you could use some time off. You’ve not been yourself since you got back. Some of your colleagues have even commented on it.”
Harry went red in the face.
“Oh really. Well they can sod off. I’m fine!”
Demerest gave him a hard look. “That’s enough, Potter. You’re on suspension, with pay, until further notice. If you feel, in the meantime, that you might like to speak with someone about anything, anything at all—”
“Are you suggesting I’m mental?” Harry roared again.
“Please let me know. Now good day.” Demerest started shuffling papers so that he wouldn’t have to look at Harry.
“You know what? That’s fine. Fine. And fuck you, too, Demerest. Don’t worry about calling me back. Because I quit.” Harry emphasized the last word by slamming his palm down on the desk.
“Now Harry, wait one second,” Demerest began.
Harry held up his hand. “Save it. I’m not fit to work, so I’m not working. Ever again. You have a good bloody day.”
Harry was gone with a bang.
Back at home, he slammed things around his apartment, breaking several items. He smashed pictures from past Ministry functions, threw his medals into the fireplace and started a roaring blaze. He thought briefly about Apparating to Malfoy Manor and giving Lucius Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy for that matter, a rather large piece of his mind. But by then, his flat was sweltering, and he was too tired. He put out the fire, opened a couple of windows, and plopped down on the couch. His medals gleamed, unharmed, from the hearth.
No one wanted him it seemed. Not Draco, not the Ministry, no one. And now, he didn’t even have anything to do to occupy his mind. He looked around the room at all the things he had broken, and silently began to repair them, one by one.
As he worked, Hedwig flew in the window with a loud squawk. She flew past the fireplace, reeled back from the dying embers there, and turned angry eyes at Harry. She swooped down, landing on his shoulder, and dug her talons in a little deeper than was strictly necessary.
“Ow! I’m sorry the fire was up. It’s not entirely unheard of, you know, it being winter and all. What is this?”
Harry took the little piece of parchment from Hedwig’s leg. It was a short message, messily written on a piece of Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes stationary. They were inviting him to dinner. He jotted a hasty ‘yes’ on the parchment, gave Hedwig a treat, and sent her on her way.
“Better than sitting home all night,” he muttered.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
He showed up at the shop an hour later, freshly showered and changed. George was in the showroom, demonstrating some new merchandise for a crowd of kids. A loud farting noise sounded when Harry opened the door to step inside. Everyone broke out in laughter, but it died quickly when they recognized who it was.
“Harry! Good man!” Fred cried from behind the counter. He greeted Harry with an embrace. “How’s it going?”
“Not great. I got suspended from work today. So I sort of quit.”
“You know mate, you could have been a great wizard if you’d ever learned to keep that temper of yours in check,” Fred teased. “I’m sorry to hear that. I am. You alright?”
“Yeah, alright.”
“What happened?”
“Lucius Malfoy filed a complaint about me. Said I ‘interrogated Draco by force’ yesterday after the trial. Bloody bastard.”
As if on cue, Paul strolled out from the workroom at the back of the shop. His eyes met Harry’s at once.
Paul was an ex-Slytherin and blond, but that is where any similarity he had to Draco ended. He wasn’t an icy blond like Draco, but a warm blond, with curly golden hair, tanned skin and beautiful hazel eyes. His features were soft, making him look much younger than his seventeen years, and he was shorter than Draco, and much smaller in build. He was shy to boot, and blushed prettily at the drop of a hat. He was very attractive.
“Well, well! Hello Paul! Getting ready to head home then, are you?” Fred asked. He glanced quickly between Harry and his employee.
“Er, yes, I was. Done for the day,” Paul said, still looking at Harry from beneath his eyelashes. “Hello, Harry.”
“Hello, Paul.”
Harry smiled; the boy was sort of cute. And if Draco didn’t want him….
“Hey, we were going out to dinner. Why don’t you join us?” Harry asked the blond.
A loud bang erupted from where George was still showing off merchandise. When the three men looked over, his face was covered in black soot and he was staring in disbelief at Harry.
“Christ,” Fred muttered. “Let me go check on that git,” he mumbled. He gave Harry a wink as he walked away.
“So, you want to join us?” Harry asked again.
“Um, yes. I’d love to, if I wouldn’t be intruding.”
Harry smiled. “Not at all. How have you been? I haven’t seen you since New Year’s, wasn’t it?”
Paul smiled back. “Yes, it was. I’ve been doing well. Yourself?”
Before Harry could answer, Fred returned.
“Look, why don’t you two go on ahead. I’m going to have to work on George a bit. Blasted himself deaf. We made reservations at the Leaky. Paul, can you close up shop and we’ll meet you there in a bit? Excellent. See you there! Bye!” he said, waving madly as he steered George to the backroom.
Paul grinned at Harry. “Give me a second to get these people out and lock up?”
Harry grinned back. “Sure.”
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Date: 2005-09-13 12:24 am (UTC)Great chapter...but ugh. Its sooo frustrating. Fricken Lucius Malfoy...
Update soon, luvvey!
SOO GOOD :)
Date: 2005-09-15 08:33 pm (UTC)