WHAT DRACO KNOWS
Description:
Draco Malfoy is a famous Potions Master. He's married to Auror Harry Potter, vanquisher of Lord Voldemort and secret cat Animagus - suddenly gone missing. The all-powerful wizard is being held against his will by a…Muggle shelter? Draco smells something fishy... Sequel to What this Cat Knows (but can be read on its own).
This short story is a little thank you for all my readers and reviewers of "What this Cat Knows". It's been in my head for a while now and I've finally found time to write it.
I hope you enjoy it ;)
Draco hears the magical bell to his shop ring. An Auror enters his apothecary and marches straight to him.
"Mr. Malfoy-Potter, your cat is in danger" the imposing figure tells him with a straight face.
Draco doubts what he's heard for a split second but he knows his hearing is perfect and he can't figure out what else the wizard could have possibly said.
"My cat is in danger…" he echoes, staring at the man with a straight face despite his heavy skepticism.
"Yes. He's held at a one of those places Muggles call a shelter" the man sniffs. It's a cold July day and the warmth of his shop is thawing the Auror's nose. Draco hides a grimace at the sound.
"I'm sorry but what makes you think my familiar is being held in a shelter?" he has to ask.
Surely what the man says is incorrect. His so called "cat" is Harry Potter, a powerful and highly skilled unregistered Animagus. No one can hold him against his will.
"Well, we're not sure really. A group of middle-aged witches venturing outside of wizarding London swear they've seen Muggles capture your cat and shove him into a vehicle bearing the shelter's name.
Draco frowns.
"What makes them think it was my familiar?" he asks.
Harry turns into a black cat. There's nothing unique about his coat color and his scars don't show under the thick fur. Draco admits that despite his lack of distinctive features, Harry's the cutest cat he's ever seen. Maybe the women see it too.
The man clears his throat and squirms under the Potions Master's impeccable impassivity.
"They admitted to following you and your cat this morning in Diagon Alley and have been stalking it ever since."
Draco carefully suppresses a sigh. It's not the first time fans try to get his attention by capturing whom they think is his cat. Luckily, their useless plan to earn his affection has made them witnesses to Harry's apparent capture.
"Do you have the name of the shelter?" Draco asks.
"Ah…yes" the wizard says. He hands him the information written on a piece of parchment.
"Thank you, I'll close shop and investigate" Draco says with a curt nod. He's sure the Auror won't pursue the case himself. The blond suspects his connection to Harry Potter is the only reason the man went out of his way to pass on the message about a stolen cat.
The Auror awkwardly nods back and disapparates as soon as he steps out of his shop.
Draco finds the shelter and assesses its entrance. There is a constant flow of Muggles entering and exiting the building.
He worms his way inside and finds the reception desk. Despite Harry's multiple lessons on Muggle devices and his own curiosity for their culture, the blond man feels a bit overwhelmed by the collection of odd equipment littering her work station.
The woman looks up from her computer and blushes as she takes in his fine features.
"Hello, how may I help you?" she says timidly.
"I want a cat" he says and ignores the flirtatious look slowly breaking through her shyness.
"Certainly, let me…"
"It has to be black and fully grown. A male." Draco continues. He's not about to waste his time beating about the bush.
The receptionist seems a bit taken aback by the splurge of criteria but nods.
"Ok, well let me look into my system and see if we have what you're looking for, Mr…?"
"Malfoy-Potter" he says curtly. He throws in a charming smile, partly because he knows it usually gets him what he wants but also because his name is a warm reminder that Harry is His.
At his words, the woman looks to his wedding ring and appears slightly crestfallen.
"Right, so Mr. Malfoy-Potter, let me just have a quick look" she says, her gaze turning away from the platinum ban.
While she searches in her system, Draco takes in the numerous frames and posters hanging on the walls. He finds it odd that they're not moving at all. He's known for years that Muggle pictures don't move but it's still weird to take in.
"Mr. Malfoy-Potter, we do seem to have a black, male, adult cat. He actually just came in this morning. Unfortunately, he's a stray and has yet to be evaluated for fleas, intestinal parasites and he has no vaccines yet" she tells him with a chagrined look.
"I'll take him" he says.
The receptionist stares at him oddly for a moment.
"Yes, well there's more. You see…he's quite feral. He's been hissing and growling at the staff ever since his capture."
"That's fine" Draco says.
She gives him a disbelieving look but catches herself quickly and puts her professional mask back on.
"I'm sorry Sir, but these cats have to be castrated and reevaluated for behavior before we can allow their adoption."
Draco begins to doubt the success of his mission. He decides to try something else before he resorts to magic.
"Then can I see the other cats?" he asks with a small crooked smile. He rests his arms over the reception desk and leans in just enough for the Muggle to get a whiff of his scent.
Harry tells him he smells amazing, like a mixture of expensive tea and rain scented woods or something. Draco can see the faint swooning in her shoulders, the slight flaring of her nostrils and he can tell she shares his husband's opinion.
"Sure...but if you decide to adopt today, we have an extensive questionnaire to fill out to make sure you and your future pet are compatible" she warns him. Her words convey some suspicion of mental issues.
Draco can't blame her for wanting to check up on his sanity. So far, he's managed to paint the portrait of man eager to adopt a vicious intact stray cat full of parasites and susceptible to diseases.
"If I wish to adopt today, I'll of course follow protocol" Draco says with a slight tilt of his head.
"Great. Then allow me to call someone to accompany you into the cat room."
"Thank you" he says and smiles just enough to fluster her and distract her from his first and strange request.
"Here we are" his volunteer says as they enter a room full of metal squared cages.
"The cats" he introduces with a wave of his arm.
Draco quietly scans the room.
"Is that all?" he asks when he fails to find Harry.
The Muggle gives him a funny look.
"Well, there are twenty-three cats in here…" he says, underlining the number to convey how plenty that actually is. "How about you have a closer look at them?" he suggests patiently.
"Where is the black cat which was caught this morning?" the blond wizard asks with a polite, even tone.
The man seems confused as to how Draco knows about the feral cat but decides that it's not important.
"You can see him but he's not up for adoption yet" the man says.
"I want a black adult male cat. If he's suitable I want to know so I can reserve him. Otherwise, I'll go adopt one elsewhere" Draco explains.
"I see. Well, I'll show him to you but you won't like him. He keep growling and hissing. He's a mean one. Hopefully, he'll be friendlier after we neuter him."
I doubt that, Draco thinks.
The man leads him to a separate room. When they enter, he notices three cats individually caged. Draco's eyes are immediately drawn to Harry. There he is, curled up into a pouting ball of soft black fur.
The guide approaches the cage first and receives a vehement hiss from the black cat.
Draco feels sorry for the poor Muggle. He knows Harry would never actually injure someone but the man doesn't and his husband is putting on quite the show.
He approaches the cage himself and the cat's behavior changes instantly. Harry uncurls and approaches Draco. He rubs his ribs against the bars that separate them and a soft purr begins to roll from the cat's throat.
The Muggle is dumbfounded.
"What just happened?..."
"I'll take him" Draco says. He eyes Harry while he waits for the guide to speak. The cat is starring back at him, swishing its tail with interest.
Cute. Draco thinks. And a pain in the arse.
He wants to ask Harry just what the hell he's up to. There are plenty of ways Draco can think of for him to escape his Muggle prison. For some reason, his husband chooses to ignore all of them.
Draco makes sure to hide his affection behind a scowl.
"Prat…"
"Meow..."
"Sir…"
"I'll take him" Draco interrupts the volunteer. The cat's ears twitch in interest.
"B…But, Sir…uh.."
Draco takes a careful breath. His patience is wearing thin. It would be so simple to whisper a spell and disapparate on the spot. The following chaos it would create prevents him from misbehaving.
"As I said before" the Muggle says, finding his words at last "you can't take the cat just yet, if at all!"
Draco takes a glance at the man's face. His rounded features are now colored by agitation.
He sighs.
"I understand" Draco says and then proceeds to demonstrate quite the opposite of compliance.
Abruptly, he opens Harry's cage and scoops him up with a careful gentleness despite his challenged mood.
"What are you doing!" the Muggle screams in terror.
"Thank you, Tim" the blond says dismissively as he makes his way for the exit. Draco congratulates himself for noticing the man's name on his breast pocket despite his hurry. He always was good at multitasking.
The unexpected robbery startles the Muggle so much he fails to react until Draco has left the isolation room.
"Wait! Sir!" the poor flustered man says, running after him. "You can't just take him! There are procedures!" he shouts, his words laced with panic.
Draco decides that for the next thirty seconds of his life, he's completely deaf. He pushes a door open and comes nose to nose with the receptionist.
"Oh!" she says a bit startled. Her gaze lingers briefly on his fine features before she redirects it to the moving thing in his arms.
Her eyes grow large.
"Is that…" she begins saying while pointing a manicured finger at the little ball of fluff.
"Mister! Come back HERE!" the other muggle shouts, startling the poor woman.
His temples are glistening from nervous sweat and he's completely out of breath. Draco thinks that's rather sad and makes a mental note to practice quidditch more often.
Meanwhile, whispers grow in the shelter as visitors notice the commotion. Draco catches from the corner of his eye the appearance of a small rectangular device. A teenage girls is holding it up, pointing it at him.
Draco frowns. "Time to leave" he thinks somberly. He remembers Harry's multiple warnings about Muggle cellphones and that thing called Social Media.
With his fine long legs, he hurries out of the shelter, his lab coat still on and billowing behind him. Draco goes straight for the back of the building and disapparates, narrowly missing the frantic Muggle arriving on scene.
The blond wizard lands at the front door of his apothecary with the black cat safely tucked in his arms. His face is passive and he remains disturbingly quiet as he cancels his locking spell to enter.
He steps in and locks the door behind him. The calm that emanates from him is the kind that preceded a storm. Draco lets the cat fall to the ground and rolls his stiff shoulders to straighten his back. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He could use a good glass of Firewhisky right now.
"Mind telling me what all that was about?" he says. Draco senses more than hears Harry morph back into this human self. His dark grey eyes open sharply to find his husband standing in the middle of his shop.
"Uh…hi" Harry says almost sheepishly.
Draco's eyes are quickly framed by a terrifying frown.
"I'm waiting" he says quietly, his tone anything but kind.
Harry runs a nervous hand through his jet-black hair.
"You said you wouldn't look for me" Harry finally blurts out.
"…What?"
"Last month, when you were talking to Blaise, you said that if I disappeared, you wouldn't feel the need to go look for me" Harry clarifies.
For a moment, Draco thinks this is all a bad joke. It's the pain in Harry's green eyes and his poorly concealed embarrassment that convinces the Potions Master that it isn't a joke.
"I heard you" Harry says through clenched teeth. "I was looking for the tea Molly gave us and I accidently caught some of your discussion" he explains.
Draco can hear bitterness in his tone even if Harry is using his special Auror training to minimize his feelings.
Draco pinches the bridge of his nose in disbelief. He takes a deep patient breath.
"Harry, are you telling me you planned your own kidnaping because of what your heard that day? You were testing to see if I'd try finding you?"
Harry stares back at him with the kind of defiance and determination that secretly turns Draco on.
"I remember that conversation" Draco admits. "You're an idiot, Harry."
Immediate hurt flashes in the vibrant green eyes and Draco regrets his words. Apparently, Harry really is insecure about their relationship.
"I love you and I do really mean it. I'm not sure why you've decided to doubt that now. Next week is your birthday but considering this fiasco, I don't think your present can wait" Draco says.
Harry's brows furrow in confusion. Draco's heart unclenches, satisfied to see the pain gone from within his favorite shade of green.
Still skilled in the arts of wandless magic, Draco summons a small jewelry box hidden in a locked desk at the back if his apothecary with the snap of his fingers. The satin green box flies into his hand smoothly and Draco secretly smirks when he hears Harry's sharp intake of breath. The Potions Master knows how much his magic turns Harry on and he's delighted to see his effect persists.
Draco hands the box to Harry. The dark-haired wizard accepts it quietly, eyes scanning the object with a blank mask that rivals Draco's best poker face.
"Only I know" the blond whispers and the magical lock of the box shatters into specks of brilliant gold light. Slowly, the pieces of light dim out as they fall on Harry's hand, tickling his senses. The box is free to pry open, no longer protected by a password.
Harry hasn't said a word since, which makes Draco a little nervous. Quietly, his husband opens the gift. It's a small stone, smaller than a pea and as red as blood. He realizes after a moment that the color comes from an actual drop of blood inside the stone.
"What is it?" Harry asks as he grabs the stone between his thumb and index finger. He moves the little pebble at the level of his eyes. He narrows them in the hopes of seeing the inside better.
"It's a Blood Knut" Draco says, scanning Harry's expression closely. "It's the reason why I wouldn't feel the need to go look for you…if you disappeared" Draco says carefully.
A flash of partial understanding pokes through Harry's blank mask. "I've never heard of it."
"I don't think even Hermione would know anything about it" the blond admits.
Harry frowns. "Is it dark magic?"
Draco nods. "Yes, but only because it involves a bit of blood; my blood."
This seems to reassure Harry a bit. As an Auror and past target of a great evil, dark illegal things aren't his favorites.
"What do I do with it?" Harry questions.
"You keep it close to you, at all times. It's not leaving you. Ever."
Harry looks taken aback.
Draco's not surprised.
"Every time you leave on a mission, I know you may not come back" he tells Harry, ready to clarify things. "At least, I can prepare myself and I know where to find you. But when you just outright disappear for a couple of days on a forced last minute assignment and I don't have a clue where you are, I'm not too far from terrified" Draco admits for the very first time. He's never, ever voiced out his fears regarding Harry's work.
They've been married for 8 years.
Harry visibly swallows. It looks like he wants to say something, but can't quite remember how to speak. Draco feels his heart speeding with increasing apprehension.
Maybe he shouldn't have said a thing.
"You've been worried this whole time?" Harry asks, finally breaking the unbearable silence.
Draco doesn't need to nod it seems. Harry picks up the answer in his eyes.
"And you're only telling me now?"
Draco looks away. Something in Harry's features makes him impossibly nervous. Maybe it's the astonishment in his eyes that's making his Malfoy genes cripple into shyness. Maybe it's the silent insult mixed in with that odd look Harry usually gives him when Draco accidentally says something sweet.
"You're an idiot too" Harry blurts out.
And there it is, Draco thinks.
Despite the insult, the Potions Master feels his heart slow down to a more normal pace.
"How does it work?" Harry asks, looking down at the Blood Knut he's still holding tightly.
Draco welcomes the sudden change of mood. He releases a carefully hidden sigh and answers his husband.
"Crush it now. The blood inside will seep out, turn silver and take on any shape you want. Then, it'll etch itself onto your skin. The only way you can take it off is by mentally acknowledging danger you cannot face alone. At that point, it'll find me in seconds, creating a portal between us by which you can escape."
There's something Draco is leaving out. It's important and he hopes Harry never asks about it. But his luck isn't outstanding. Harry's sporting a frown. His green eyes are darkening with concern. Questions are growing in his mind.
"There's a catch…Otherwise, Aurors would be using this magic all the time to escape death…"Harry is thinking out loud. His gaze is burning Draco. "There's a huge price to pay, isn't there?"
"I'm willing to pay it" Draco says immediately.
"I'm not" Harry says. "Knowing you, you made sure it would fall on you and I couldn't live with that. Harry says.
"Please" Draco says tightly.
A Malfoy never begs. Surely, Harry can appreciate that he's breaking his rule.
The dark-haired wizard shakes his head. His frown depends into a stern expression.
"There's absolutely no fucking way."
"So I just have to accept your disappearances" Draco says bitterly. He hasn't felt this hurt in a long time. "I can't ever be sure you're okay when you disappear without warning."
Harry stares at him, the remnant of his hard features gradually making way for a more passive expression. Meanwhile, there's increasing turmoil growing in the evergreen eyes.
Harry sighs heavily.
"No."
Draco suddenly feels strong arms weave themselves around his waist and crush him into a tight embrace. It's warm and desperate, just like his earlier plea.
"No, that doesn't seem fair either" Harry admits. His words brush Draco's neck softly. It's warm and familiar.
In the silence that follows, Draco decides to return the embrace. It's the kind of comfort he needs after worrying for so long.
"I'll make sure you know somehow. There must be a way around the Auror secrecy protections; a way for you, and only you, to know whether I'm on a last minute assignment or actually in danger without possibility of communication" Harry says softly.
Draco suspects Harry's also basking in the calm of their warmth. His voice is usually only this soft when he's falling asleep outside in the sun with Draco as his pillow.
"Okay" the blond wizard finally says after a rather long stretch of silence.
Harry pulls back from the embrace and sinks his deep green eyes into Draco's silver ones.
Draco feels like he's being dissected by the intensity of his gaze. He isn't sure he can keep facing it for very long.
"Please get rid of the Blood Knut" Harry asks gently, his eyes still searching Draco's features for Merlin knows what.
"Okay" Draco accepts. It took him twelve full moons to make it but Harry doesn't need to know that.
"You may get your birthday present late this year" Draco warns. He's not sure what meaningful gift he could offer his husband after this one.
Harry surprises him with a predatory smile.
"Mhh, I think I might get it early, actually" he tells Draco. His mischievous eyes are looking him up and down.
Feeling self-conscious, Draco quickly scans himself and realizes what's caught Harry's attention.
He's still wearing the white lab coat from the shelter's isolation room.
"Doctor Malfoy, I'm feeling strange today" Harry says, his smile growing with mirth. "I think I need a checkup."
Draco frowns. "Is that a Muggle reference I'm not getting?"
"Yes" Harry says, his sharp canines flashing through his grin. "There are so many things I'd like to do to you right now" he growls while scanning the white fabric.
For a while, he stays put, busy committing the image of Draco in a lab coat to memory. Then, Harry gives him a certain look, the kind that only Draco knows.
Draco's last coherent thought is that he should keep the CLOSED sign on his shop for the day.
It's been a month since Draco destroyed the Blood Knut. He's sipping tea on his sunny balcony, waiting for Harry to return from work.
He should have been home half an hour ago.
The blond wizard doesn't panic yet. Harry's terrible with punctuality, unlike Draco.
When the sun starts to set and the balcony is full of shade, Draco is nervously anticipating their signal. If Harry isn't knees deep in trouble, if he's simply been assigned a last minute project by an Unspeakable, then it should arrive now.
Anytime now…
Draco glances at the time on his wrist watch – a present from Harry – and frowns. Before his heart speeds up from fear, something in his peripheral vision catches his attention.
Draco's grey eyes look up immediately and find the most unusual cat he's ever seen. Harry makes a point to change the signal's appearance every time. He says it amuses him to imagine Draco's face crunched up in an unrefined grimace from surprise. Of course, Draco's features are never crunched up nor are they unrefined, thank you very much.
The cat approaches Draco with a light trot. It's impossibly odd. The fur is mustard yellow. Its whiskers are shaped like lightning bolts. The right eye is too large and blue. The left one is small and purple. Its body is the size of a teacup.
The miniature cat makes an impressive jump to his right shoulder. When it lands, Draco barely feels it. It's not real after all.
He also barely feels it when the little mustard creature rubs its head against his cheek and disappears in a burst of golden sparks.
What he mostly feels is relief and an ever-growing affection for his ridiculous partner.
The End