apples and scented candles • h.potter ✓

• thirty-eight •

Blaise didn't show any hint of a smile at his joke, which slightly offended Corben. He cleared his throat and began speaking with caution. "So ... Theo?"

Blaise looked at the wall, hiding in his face with the teacup. Corben suspected he wished to drown in his tea. "I went to Diagon Alley a few times."

A few times. A bubble of hope erupted in Corben's chest but he quickly shut it down. Best not raise his hopes should he be disappointed. "And? Did he kick you out?"

A small smile quirked up Blaise's lips. "Fortunately, no. The first time I went, I took flowers but I chickened at the last minute and dumped them in the bin."

"No, why?" Corben whined and punched his brother. "I'm sure he would have loved it."

"I didn't want to look pushy." Blaise shrugged. "He showed me around his flat and we had lunch together. I did bring flowers the second time and yes, he did love it."

Numerous questions gathered behind Corben's tongue but he kept them away. It wasn't his business. If Theo and Blaise were working to rebuild their relationship, that was entirely up to them and if they weren't, it was still up to them. Corben couldn't live with himself if things worsened because of his interference.

And, he realised with a spark of guilt, he had grown closer to Blaise since Theo left. Even if they didn't visit each other much, they did call each other frequently. Blaise, remarkably, has grown out of his fear of the telephone and checked up on Corben every now and then, even asked about Harry. The day the two of them had chatted for hours and told each other stories of Theo was the longest they had spent in each other's company without shooting snarky remarks.

"Theo looks happy," Blaise said as he set his now empty cup on the table and folded himself on the sofa. "I was the only thing that ever kept him from his happiness."

"That's not true. You made him happy."

"I don't think he'll ever have me back now he knows what an intrusive partner I was."

Corben replayed Theo's words in his mind. He'd said they would work something out, that Theo needed time off for time being. Surely that meant he was willing to work on their relationship.

But he didn't say that to Blaise. He would better hear it from Theo himself.

"Look, if he wished to cut you out from his life entirely, he wouldn't have let you visit him, would he?"

Blaise didn't speak for a moment, stuck on Corben's words. Then he raised his head to look at him. "You think so?" he asked, voice small.

"Yes."

Blaise dropped his head again.

Corben returned home soon after to find Harry sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep. Worried, he went over and pressed a hand over his forehead, which was cool. As he made to back away, Harry stirred and opened his eyes.

"Why were you sleeping on the sofa?" Corben asked, pushing Harry gently to make space for himself to sit.

"I don't know," Harry said with a yawn. "I didn't realise I would fall asleep I guess."

He sat up and leaned against Corben. "There's dinner in the fridge," he said. "Don't worry about me."

"The Prophet has already started publishing news about your resigning."

Harry stiffened a little. "What did they write?"

"I don't know." Corben shrugged. "Blaise told me. But he hasn't read it either. He heard it from Theo."

Harry wrapped his arms around Corben's waist. "I apologise for anything they might write about you."

Corben didn't respond. He hadn't thought of that. Indeed, he hadn't even imagined that the Prophet would bring him into account when writing about Harry quitting the Ministry. But he had read the articles they wrote about Ginny and he didn't trust the Prophet.

"You have nothing to apologise for," he said softly, pulling Harry close. "I don't care what the Prophet writes. 

Harry smiled and kissed him. "You must be hungry. Go and get changed."

Corben obeyed. When he returned five minutes later, Harry had laid dinner on the table. He shoved the food into his mouth as though his life depended on it, apologised to Harry for his horrendous table manners, and was in the living room pushing aside furniture within ten minutes.

They stood six feet apart, face to face, wands raised. A smile played along Harry's lips that made Corben want to grab him and kiss him but he needed to practise. So he kept himself rooted to his spot as he shot the first spell.

It was easily diverted by Harry, who gave a triumphant grin. Corben took his distraction as an opportunity to shoot invisible ropes that twined around Harry's feet. When he pulled back his wand, his legs shot out from under him and Harry fell to the numerous pillows on the ground. Barely suppressing his laughter, Corben ran over and undid the spell.

"That wasn't fair," Harry mumbled as he pulled himself up from drowning in the pillows.

When they had just started training together, they used the pillows and cushions they already had at home. After a while, it became clear that it wasn't enough as more often than not, they were left with bruises and terrible aches. So they went out and bought forty cushions which they kept stashed in a corner of the room and spilt them haphazardly on the floor when it was time to practise duelling.

Sometimes the cushions didn't prevent them from getting hurt either but Corben enjoyed the moment when one of them fell and the other joined him on the floor.

Right now, it was Corben who joined Harry and lay next to him surrounded by cushions all around them. Harry let his wand fall and twined their fingers together.

"You're a good teacher," Corben said with a smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not. You really are. This falling on the floor is just an added bonus." Corben slid along the floor and rested against Harry's shoulder. "Have you decided what you're going to do now that you're no longer an Auror?"

"Why? Are you getting tired of me?"

Corben's eyebrows shot up. "No, of course not. I just -"

But Harry was laughing. "I'm just kidding, Corben. Don't take me so seriously." He held Corben's face and kissed him lightly. "To be honest, I'm not hating this - not working or trying to please the crowd. I like being at home and making question papers for you."

"Hm, well I suppose having murderous teachers wanting to do you in for six years does that to you."

Although Corben has been hurrying since leaving the Ministry to finish his tasks on time, he felt relaxed now lying amidst the cushions with Harry. A few times Harry tried to urge him to get up and continue practising, but he seemed just as relaxed and a little bit sleepy.

Thus, curled in each other's arms, they were soon asleep.