Dean and Seamus were delighted to have Harry, Teddy, and Mione visit for the day and they recommended The Copper Clam in the Kings Road Arches on the seafront in Brighton.
'Trendy jeans, mate,' said Dean as they sat on their roof terrace looking towards the sea. 'What's the occasion?'
'Harry's going on a date with Draco Malfoy!' said Mione smugly.
'At fecking last,' said Seamus. 'Does the bet still stand from school, Dean, because if it does, you'll be owing me a bloody mint.'
'Language, Seamus,' Harry admonished. 'Young tender ears,' he said, nodding towards Teddy who, luckily, was engrossed in his colouring-in book.
'Anyway, what's yours is already mine, darling, so all outstanding bets are null and void,' said Dean, rolling his eyes.
Harry raised an eyebrow as he fussed Hercules's ears. 'What bet?'
'Oh, come on, Harry. The sexual tension between the two of you was higher than the ceiling in the Great Hall,' laughed Dean. 'Some people lost an awful lot of money when you got back with Ginny after the war. The bets were high that that you and Malfoy would see past the old animosity and finally get it on. Especially as people were betting heavily that Malfoy had switched allegiances. No one said anything. How could they? Though Nev told a couple of people to back off. And we all know that by seventh year, when Nev said "back off", everyone immediately retreated ten feet. Something had obviously gone on that Nev knew about but no one else did. Probably something to do with his fake curse...'
'You knew about the fake curse?'
'Yeah! Everyone did,' said Dean. 'You can't do something like that and not expect the first years to question why, when "Dastardly Death-Eater Draco" cast the Cruciatus on them, it didn't hurt yet they looked and behaved like it did. People understood the danger of what he was doing and not to blab. They knew not to say anything about any of it. But they got that he wasn't happy and the amount of time he spent with Hagrid and the animals just showed where his heart was. Once upon a time, he'd never have deigned to talk to Hagrid, let alone pet a Hippogriff again.'
'Luna said he never wanted to harm Buckbeak, he just thought he'd please his father by getting Hagrid in trouble,' said Seamus.
'Luna knew?' Harry asked.
'Luna knows everything, I reckon she's a Seer,' said Seamus. 'She knew about us before we did.'
'Everyone knew about you before you did,' said Mione. 'You were worse than Harry and Draco.'
'Hey, we actually got together,' said Dean.
'True,' said Mione.
'It was a beautiful wedding, guys,' said Harry.
'If you need any help with planning yours and Malfoy's wedding, you know where we are,' grinned Seamus.
'I'm not marrying Malfoy. Don't you think if he was my soulmate, I'd have known a lot earlier?'
Harry didn't fail to notice three pairs of eyes rolling.
'Five galleons he's your soulmate,' said Seamus, holding out his hand to shake on it.
'No way!' said Harry.
'Scared, Potter!' Seamus teased.
'Ten he's not,' said Harry and they shook on it. 'Did I tell you he's straight?' Harry grinned smugly.
Dean and Seamus laughed so hard they cried.
'He's not straight. He's just so far in the closet, he's in Narnia,' wheezed Seamus between his hysterics. 'Time to drag him out, Harry, kicking, and screaming, and singing George Michael's Outside at the top of your voices.'
It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. Especially as Mione was in stitches too.
When they got back from Brighton, with new outfit sorted, Harry Owled Draco to let him know he'd booked a restaurant for the following Saturday at 7pm, casual attire. He suggested Draco Floo-ed to Grimmauld Place at 6.45 and they'd head straight off.
The following Saturday, Draco swallowed deeply when he saw Harry standing in the sitting room at Grimmauld Place in a white shirt, dark ripped jeans, and tan boots. A shadow grazed his chin and somehow made his eyes seem impossibly green. He looked, Draco thought, incredibly handsome and he knew he wasn't supposed to think of Harry like that. Draco noticed Harry had had his hair cut too. Still unbearably messy but purposely tousled and pushed back off his forehead to reveal his scar. He worried he'd not dressed for the occasion. He'd only pulled on a loose neck grey t-shirt with jeans and wore them with a navy suit jacket and an emerald-green scarf wrapped artfully around his neck.
'Am I dressed up enough?' He said as he dug his hands into his pockets.
'Perfect,' said Harry. He stepped close and adjusted the folds in the scarf around on Draco's neck.
Draco couldn't help the way his breath hitched and he flushed. He'd never felt that tightening in his chest with anyone else before, especially not a man. It confused him. He'd virtually told Harry that he was straight the minute they met, but he couldn't help being drawn to Harry, noticing how he looked, how he reached out to him, his tactility, his eyes. Always his eyes. He thought of the last puppy training class and looking into his eyes so closely. He thought back to school and Harry's vibrant emerald-green eyes watching him from the other side of the Great Hall or in class or on the Quidditch pitch. With a sudden burst of embarrassment, he realised his scarf was the exact same colour-his favourite colour. He felt anxious, like he didn't know what to do with himself. It made him feel uncomfortable but, at the same time, he yearned to get closer, to understand what it all meant.
'Are you okay, Draco?' Harry said carefully. 'You look a bit disorientated...'
'Just... this is a change for me,' he lied. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, it was a change but it wasn't the truth either.
'Hello, Draco,' said Granger, bounding into the room with Teddy.
Draco nearly panicked. He hadn't been expecting to see anyone else, let alone another of the Golden Trio. He felt the guilt surge through his body and land heavily in his feet so they felt like lead. 'Hermione,' he muttered.
'Hi Draco,' yelled Teddy, throwing himself at Draco for a hug.
'Hello, Champ. Can I call you Champ too?'
'Yes, because only special people can call me Champ. Now it's Da, Mione, and you.'
'I bet you've just been in the bath,' said Draco.
Teddy's face fell in amazement, 'how did you know?'
'Well, let's see... your hair is still wet, you're in your pyjamas, and you smell scrumptious,' he exaggeratedly nuzzled his nose into the boy's neck causing Teddy to giggle hysterically. Soft, thought Draco, if it's possible to smell soft.
Teddy wiggled away. 'Da... can I watch a movie with Aunty Mione?'
'What do you think?' Harry said in a stern voice.
'You never let me watch a movie...'
'That's not true, is it?' said Harry. 'You watched 101 Dalmations with Aunty Mione and me this afternoon and now it's time to snuggle up in bed and have a story and go to sleep. Can I have a kiss goodnight and then we must get going or we'll be late?'
Harry hoisted Teddy up into his arms and despite his clear disappointment about a film, Teddy gave Harry a huge hug and a smacker of a kiss on the lips.
'Night-night, Champ, sleep well, sweet dreams, see you in the morning. Love you more than the world.'
'Night-night, sleep well, sweet dreams, see you in the morning. Love you more than the world too.'
They rubbed noses as they said what was obviously a well-repeated little routine.
Draco felt privileged to have a little insight into Teddy and Harry's precious relationship and a bit of him yearned for it too. His father had never been so carefree and precious with his love. He wondered if his father had ever loved him like that. At times, he looked back on his childhood and saw himself as a showpiece, the perfect little Pureblood Malfoy. He was shaken from his reverie by Teddy, still in Harry's arms, holding out his arms for a hug from Draco.
When Draco got the same smacker of a kiss and a nose rub, he had to close his eyes. Why was it, since Potter had come back into his life again, that everything felt so emotionally unstable?
As Mione took the boy from Harry, Teddy said, 'Da says he's taking you to a special place called The Closet Clam. I think it's in Narnia.'
Draco watched Harry blanch and Mione try to hush Teddy, though she was laughing too much.
'Uncle Dean said...'
'...shall we go?' said Harry hurriedly.
'I'd quite like to hear what "Uncle Dean" said,' said Draco with a raised eyebrow.
'He said you were...'
Harry grabbed Draco's arm quickly, said 'ready?' and without waiting for an answer, Apparated them both to Brighton.
Draco stumbled against Harry when they landed. 'That was... different... and impolite...' he scowled, especially as Harry held him firmly and it felt very secure.
'I didn't want to be late.'
'You mean, Potter, you didn't want me to hear what Dean bloody Thomas had to say about me.'
'I'll tell you later but it wasn't a conversation for just as we were leaving.'
'And where exactly are we? Not Narnia, I suppose.'
'Brighton. Come on, this way,' said Harry, feeling extremely flushed and really not wanting to know if Draco had ever read or seen any of The Chronicles of Narnia.
The restaurant was gorgeous and very modern with a relaxed atmosphere.
'Are you sure I'm alright in just a t-shirt?' Draco asked.
'Look around you, you're fine.'
'Everyone's really smart.'
'Most people are in jeans, you're fine.'
'They're staring at us.'
'Because you're the best-looking bloke in the place. Stop worrying.'
Draco blushed at Harry's words and then realised he was being checked out by a man at the bar who winked at him, which made him blush even more.
'Merlin, Harry!' he nearly tripped over his feet in his rush to whisper in Harry's ear. 'That man at the bar just winked at me.'
'Where?' said Harry, turning around with an eyebrow raised and suddenly looking a foot taller. He looked intimidating and Draco felt a little rush of excitement that it was for him.
'The blond one in the black shirt,' Draco said, a little smirk on his face as he looked back at the man.
Harry stepped behind Draco so he was stood between Draco and the stranger and scowled over his shoulder at the man. He felt his magic surging uncontrollably at the sudden unwarranted rush of jealousy, plus the bloody cheek that someone would hit on Draco when they clearly out together. He watched the man nod at him too before he lifted his glass to his lips with a mock toast. Harry couldn't resist a little release of wandless magic and the drink suddenly tipped down the front of the man's shirt causing him to leap up, embarrassed.
Harry put a hand protectively on the base of Draco's back to guide him towards their table at the back of the restaurant. He had arranged for a corner table, tucked away from the windows. He had long since learnt it was a far nicer experience to eat without people smearing their noses against the window in a bid to spy on the Chosen One. He also arranged that they were sat at ninety degrees rather than facing one another because he didn't want it to feel like they were on a date.
'This is on me,' he said as they opened their menus. 'Chose whatever you want.'
'It's a dangerous thing to make an offer to a man like me,' smiled Draco.
'Hmmm,' smiled Harry, enjoying the way Draco's eyes glistened as he relaxed, though he couldn't help the little flutter of disappointment at Draco's reaction to the man who'd winked at him. He was clearly uncomfortable with it.
Nevertheless, Draco was confusingly flirtatious and joked about aphrodisiacs and sharing a plate of Rockafeller Oysters for starters.
In fact, they settled on ordering white wine and scallops, though Harry cheekily got an Oyster Shooter as an appetiser - a single oyster with a spiced Bloody Mary shot.
'So,' said Draco, taking a deep breath. 'Are you going to tell me about what Dean was mouthing off about?'
'Are you alright about this?' Harry asked. 'I mean, talking about the past.'
'It's not going to be easy, is it? But I get it. I'd like us to be friends but we need to get through all that shit so we both know where we're coming from.'
'Yes,' Harry sighed. 'It worries me though. I don't want to cause another rift between us.'
'I hope we're past that. I know I've changed considerably, that should help.'
Harry smiled self-depreciatingly. 'I've better control of my temper too these days. It was a pretty bad mix between adolescent hormones and Voldemort in my head. It was only later that I learnt about the negative effects of the Horcruxes. Carrying a physical one caused doubt, depression, anger, agitation, well, any negative emotion you can imagine. That was in my head the whole time. It's not an excuse but it is a reason. I'm sorry, for the times I lost it with you. Not just in the boys' bathroom, but after that Quidditch match too, that springs to mind and it was totally out of order.'
Draco actually smiled, surprising Harry. 'I did goad you into it. I wasn't exactly charming myself, insulting Weasley and then your mother. I often hit below the belt to get a reaction.' He chuckled suddenly. 'Don't you think that's what it was all about, half the time, seeking each other's attention and getting a reaction?'
Harry smiled too. He could feel Draco's knee gently nudging against his under the table and he wondered if Draco was even conscious he was doing it. 'I guess so, everything was so intensely focused on you, even from the start. You know, you really upset me, when we met in Madame Malkin's shop. I was so excited to meet someone my age. Although I went to school in Hogsmeade, I didn't make any real friends my age. I spent so much time up at the school but everyone was older so they weren't real friendships. Then I met you and I though "great, at last"...'
'...and then I opened my stupid mouth and badmouthed Hagrid and Muggleborns!' Draco snorted. 'I was a precocious little twat. I see that now. At the time, I thought I was the dog's bollocks. You understand that I simply copied everything my father did, his mannerisms, his ways, his beliefs...' Draco's voice faded.
'I get it,' Harry said, reaching out and cupping Draco's hand briefly where he was fiddling nervously with the stem of his wine glass. 'Let's talk about something else. We don't need to do this. I think we both understand the situation. Maybe I just should have accepted your handshake back on the train...'
'Merlin, no! Haven't you even thought about what would have happened if we'd become friends back then? My father probably would have either killed you or disowned me because he had a real problem with the Potters, per se, and not just you. It's a mystery I'll never get to the bottom of. And if it wasn't my father directly, I'd have been forced to lure you into Voldemort's arms so he could kill you.'
Harry's face fell. 'He couldn't kill me outright, you know.'
'But he would have tried, time and time again.'
'He did try time and time again.'
'I know,' Draco said quietly. 'It took a long time for that to actually sink in. I guess I imagine it would have been far worse to cope with if we were friends and I was asked to betray you. We have to remember that.'
Harry smiled sadly, 'yeh, I guess you're right. I'm glad we've got the chance now.'
'Me too. Are you avoiding telling me what Dean said.'
'He said that they guessed you'd switched allegiances in the seventh year...'
'He wasn't even there in the seventh year,' said Draco coldly.
'No, but Seamus was and Dean lived in the Room of Requirements for the month after he'd escaped from the Manor. Apparently, there were high stakes on your defection.'
Draco paled significantly.
'Hey,' said Harry. 'It's okay.' He reached out and took Draco's hand, this time interlinking their fingers and running his thumb soothingly over the skin.
'You don't understand. If anything like that had got back to the Carrows or to Vince or Greg, then it would have got back to Voldemort and I'd be dead.'
'But it didn't. They got it. He said they understood the situation you were in. They could tell you had to hide what you felt. They knew about the fake curse too...'
'...how?' Draco asked, clearly shocked.
'You didn't expect people not to ask questions, not to wonder why your Cruciatus Curses looked realistic but there was never any pain. Some of the first years asked...'
'...oh gods...'
Harry could feel Draco's hand shaking and his leg was jigging nervously against Harry's. 'They had your back, Draco. Nev had told people to back off, and everyone listened to him. Luna had pieced things together because of the amount of time you spent with Hagrid and then after Hagrid had gone and you still continued to care for his magical creatures. Are you alright? Do you want to leave or go outside and get some fresh air?'
'No, no. I'm... Merlin,' he took a deep breath and took a large gulp of iced water from the glasses that Harry had ordered with the wine. 'I thought I was wearing my mask well. I thought I was hiding it all. If they'd found out...'
'But they didn't. And it's over now. You had a lot of silent support.'
'Merlin, even my own House didn't know. Well, Blaise guessed but the others were oblivious, so how did they know and my lot didn't?'
'Probably because you didn't need to cast the curse on your own House and they were all wrapped up in their own worries. You were all in a very precarious situation. The others were outsiders, looking in.'
'I didn't even know where Theo's, Millie's, and Daphne's loyalties lay until Snape's assembly. I knew they hated what the Carrows were trying to make us do but... well, when you've got someone like Theo who was so into his Dark curses and strange artefacts... I knew I couldn't trust anyone. You know, Slytherin started having 'Potter Nearly Died' parties every time news got out about another of your escapades.'
'Minnie said. She said she and Severus laughed about the ambiguity of the title.'
'Yeah, supposedly celebrating your near demise. Even so, the feeling of hope in the common room was positively palpable to everyone, apart from maybe Vince and Greg. They were pretty thick. Mother said it's because of the inbreeding,' Draco smirked. 'I had to pretend distain. I'd make snide comments, like you should have tried harder. No one questioned it. Blaise would reliably offer me shot of Firewhiskey. It was like a mini salute to you for another minor victory but we never said as much. Then, I'd take myself off. I couldn't afford to join in and I certainly couldn't drink in case the mask fell. I told Blaise off on more than one occasion for drinking too much and saying something that could be misconstrued if the wrong person heard him.'
As their main course came, Harry said, 'I assume you lost contact with Theo then.'
'Yeah. I wanted to keep my nose clean, start afresh and get away from all that. Blaise is the only one I've kept in contact with.'
'So, you don't know that Theo is one of the top curse-breakers in Britain, if not in Europe. He does consultancy work for me on occasion. He owns Borgin and Burkes now, runs it with Daphne. All licenced, all clean. He brings in all sorts, cleans it up, sells it on. Piece by piece, he's cleaning the world of cursed artefacts.'
'No...'
'Sure. What's Blaise up to?'
'He went to Muggle Art College. I never knew until after the war that it was his dream. We don't see each other so often, birthdays and occasional outings. He's the only one.'
'I'm surprised you didn't stay in contact with Pansy.'
Draco shuddered. 'We had a fairly disastrous relationship in the fourth year. It didn't end well and things got very awkward. I treated her like shit, to be honest. Considered it her privilege to be going out with me, like the arrogant tosser that I was. Callously dumped just after the Triwizard Tournament finished, after I'd got my birthday present, of course. Then, after all the trying to hand you over to Voldemort business, she turned my stomach a bit, to be honest. She was so far off the mark. Worshiped me, thought I was a perfect little Death-Eater and therefore that's what she wanted to be too. She was horribly naïve. What she really needed was someone who could love her properly, nurture her good side, bring out her love and caring aspects. I don't know what happened to her.'
'She works somewhere in the depths of Ministry, banished to some menial job because people heard the rumours of her trying to betray me. I can't say I've seen her since the war, or even made an effort to. Not since that incident - I couldn't. I mean, I get her reaction to my sudden reappearance at Hogwarts, it must have been a bit of a shock and her behaviour was little more than panic. I get it, we were in the middle of a war and were just kids. It's just...'
'...you've got very little time for her because she made your life a misery at school. Nearly as much as me.'
'Yeah but, for some reason, there was a distinct difference between your aggravation and hers. Hers seemed so much more spiteful. You and I... well... we talked about it before...'
'...it was more personal but more focused.'
'Exactly. Just about you and me.' Harry snorted. 'You're right, it was a lot of attention seeking. Since then, well, Pansy's just long disappeared into a void of insignificance as I've focused on my career and chasing down the last Death-Eaters, catching criminals, running my teams, and embroiled in the everyday politics of the Ministry.'
'You do politics, Potter?'
Harry smiled, 'I guess it goes with the territory. I'm not overly keen on it all but with some careful tutelage from Mione, I'm getting better at playing the game. Sometimes I even enjoy it.'
'You know, Pansy only said what she said because she though it would please me. Blaise practically dragged her into the shadows of the Great Hall with his hand clapped over her mouth. I couldn't react, Vince and Greg were watching me, I know they'd been told to after I failed to kill Dumbledore and then I vanished back to the school straight after you escaped the Manor. It all raised questions about my behaviour but I had to, if Voldemort had cast a Legilimens spell, he would have found out I'd lied about your identity. Vince and Greg were reporting back on my every move. By the end, the only thing I cared about was making sure my mother was safe. She was my priority. That's why I couldn't openly dissent against them in the Room of Requirement. Plus, you had my wand. I'd never had been able to do much with mother's, I never had its allegiance. I wanted to kill you when you started asking questions about why I didn't identify you at the manor.'
'Sorry,' Harry grimaced. 'It was all very different when I came back to the school. I guess I missed out on nine months of political manoeuvrings behind the scenes. We were very isolated from what was happening and only heard stuff through Potterwatch and when I connected with Voldemort.'
'Hang on, what do you mean "connected"?' Draco exclaimed.
'Legilimency, of sorts. It was pretty unpleasant. I saw stuff through his eyes or Nagini's. That tended to be worse. It still haunts my nightmares.'
'You still get them?'
'Occasionally. Especially if things are stirred up but healing is a slow process. I get that.'
'So, will tonight stir things up for you?'
Harry shrugged, 'maybe not. I'm hoping for the opposite. It helps to have some answers and understand things a bit better.'
'Tell me about growing up with McGonagall, I always wanted to know, I was so intrigued by that story. How did you even end up under her wing...?'
They chatted into the night. It was surprisingly easy. Well, Draco thought so, though perhaps the wine helped, although he knew there were still things that Harry wasn't telling him. He was surprised about how natural it felt, like they'd been doing this for years, like this was how it always should have been. But maybe, just as he'd said during his trial, if they hadn't taken the journey that they had, it would never have been so easy to become friends now.
That night, after he Floo-ed home from Harry's, he fell into bed with a contented smile on his face. He hadn't realised how lonely his life had become and Harry was suddenly filling a very large gap that had opened up since the war. He tried to ignore the fact that he kept thinking of bright emerald-green eyes with attractive creases around them whenever Harry laughed or smiled at him. And he definitely didn't think about sharp, chiselled jawlines with a light scuff of stubble or white shirts against olive-toned skin. And he certainly didn't think of how it felt when Harry had firmly gripped his hand because he'd nearly panicked, or how their knees touched under the table, or how it felt when Harry held him before they Apparated back to Grimmauld Place after a late-night stroll along the wind-swept seafront.
He could still feel the salt on his skin and he revelled in it.
***