Title: We Search Only to Find the What We Want in the Last Place We Look
By: shadowclub/fakeid
Summary: Ron is oblivious, Hermione is curious and Draco makes a good decision
Notes: Short ficlet written for the dhpredictions community on LJ for greenspine.
"We have to Ron! I've used every spell I know to unlock this door. Nothing's working!" Hermione said hysterically.
"There isn't any proof that this will work! I mean your talking about my foot! I need it to walk!" Ron said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Hermione glared.
"Fine, fine," Ron said, stepping back before kicking the door with his foot just as Hermione had seen in countless action movies.
"Ow!" Ron said, grabbing his foot.
"You were supposed to hit the door with the heel of your foot, not your toes!" Hermione said, bending down to examine his foot. Ron took the opportunity to look down her shirt. Hermione let him.
"Well, it looks okay…" Ron grunted in response.
"I shouldn't have suggested it, it was a stupid idea! It was so sad that Ginny left Harry all alone like that! I mean think how he must feel after all that…" Hermione said banging her fist against the wall. The door flew open, revealing two half-naked figures on the bed.
Kissing.
"Malfoy!" Ron gasped comically. It was like watching a horrible (and disturbingly sexy) porn movie. Not that Hermione would know of anything of that sort…
"I can explain!" Harry said jumping off the bed.
"Yes! Potter can explain!" Draco said reaching out for his shirt, his eyes wild. Hermione noted that his wand was some ways off.
"Explain! How the hell can you explain why you two were…" Ron made an arm gesture in the air that looked like two bears mauling a pigeon. " …doing stuff !"
"You see Draco--Malfoy here is going to open a new business and came to me for some advice," Harry said a stain of red creeping up his neck.
"You are training to be an Auror, I don't recall you showing any interest in business," Hermione pointed out.
"It didn't concern Potter's professions but rather his status as a celebrity!" Draco intoned.
"Harry hates having the spotlight on him…what kind of business were you looking into?" Hermione asked casually.
"That is um…a confidential matter between partners and a lawyer, he can't talk about it!" Harry said handing Draco his wand and jacket.
"If he told you, why can't he tell us?" Ron asked.
"It's a tattoo parlor. I was hoping to get a few celebrity clients to get the word of my business out there," Draco said, his voice an octave higher than normal. It was almost too easy. Hermione couldn't have said she hadn't seen it coming.
"What about the nipple pinching?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"What nipple pinching?"
"When you were on the bed with Harry!"
"Oh…I was uh, testing the texture and sensitivity of Potter's nipple because I'm going to be offering piercing and Potter was thinking about getting a nipple ring?" Draco said throwing Harry a questioning glance.
"And the tongue to tongue contact?" Ron said obviously struggling to find an appropriate word for kissing, Hermione smiled.
"Ahh, apparently I have very sensitive nipples and I passed out when Draco was testing their um…sensitivity and gave me CPR," Harry said apparently recovering enough to form words again.
"Well…I guess that makes sense. Just …tell us if you're going to be at dinner Harry! Hermione and I were worried!" Ron said still frowning.
Harry laughed nervously.
The first thing Draco did was hit him.
The second thing Draco did was pull him in for a kiss. Harry supposed that old school rhyme accurately summed it up. "First the worst, second the best, third the nerd with the Harry chest…" Well, actually the last part didn't make much sense in this instance, but it didn't matter.
"I thought you locked the door!" Draco yelled.
"I did! It must have come unlocked during-hey! Don't hit me! I wasn't the one who insisted on a quickie when people were knocking at the door!" Harry said dodging to avoid another slap.
"Don't blame this on me! Blame it on my boss who puts me through eighteen meetings a day! Having the memory with you is pretty much the only thing that gets me through it!" Draco said. Harry grabbed him from behind.
"Really?" He asked kissing Draco's neck.
"Yeah."
"He was devastated, you know."
Draco looked up and saw Hermione Granger standing in the doorway to his office. He gestured for her to sit down.
"What are you talking about?" he said, signing his name with a flourish at the bottom of the parchment.
"Harry." Draco looked up. "We were all afraid he was going to kill himself. Not because he was cowardly to own up to his mistakes, but because he was too tired to fight anymore." Hermione finished seriously.
"I'm in no mood for cryptic statements. Do you have a point?"
"I'm saying that Ginny leaving him hurt him. She didn't understand what exactly happened or what it did to him. She left him when he needed her most…"
"What makes you think I would hurt him?" Draco asked. Granger gave him a flat look.
"Other than six years of school rivalry."
"Bye Malfoy. I'll trust you'll make the right decision," she said, walking out of his office briskly.
Draco shook his head. The day was getting odder and odder. First Lavender (his secretary) didn't try and get into his pants, next Hermione Granger head of the IKSZ (what it stood for, nobody knew except for those in the department and they would kill you if you knew. Thus you are better off not knowing) in the Unspeakable Department paid him a personal visit.
Draco looked down and saw that Granger had somehow slipped an envelope under his hand. Damn she was good. Before opening it, he knew what it was. It was emblazoned in gold across a maroon background: We Cordially Invite You to the Wedding of Ronald Billius Weasley and Hermione Jane Granger…
Draco snorted. How dreadfully tacky, red and gold invitations. Seriously…
"You came!" Harry said, downing the flute of champagne.
"What can I say? The company was irresistible! Over there in Exhibit A we have a drunk raven licking a lion," Draco began. Sure enough Luna was licking some champagne of Neville's cheek. It became apparent that this was no accident when Luna drizzled some more champagne on Neville's throat and moved down there.
"Over to your left we have Exhibit B, the liver killers!" Draco said , gesturing to Lee and George spiking the punch with vodka.
"Exhibit C is under the table humping her brains out," Draco lifted the table cloth to reveal Mrs. Norris and Crookshanks going at it…well, like animals in heat.
"And to your right--."
"Oh, stop insulting my friends! This isn't exactly your type of scene why did you come here?" Harry asked tugging on the collar of his suit , trying to loosen it up.
Draco gave him what Harry had termed "the look".
"You of course. I could not bear the thought of leaving you here for the night. I shudder to think what may happen to you! You could end up at the wrong end of a baby…during changing time ," Draco said in such a serious tone that Harry had to laugh.
"Ahh, so how are you going to save me from this plight?" Harry asked.
"I think we're going to go back to my place…I might have a board game or two to keep you occupied."
"We'll see," Harry said looking up at the sound of a large crash and a burst of laughter. "Looks like Ron's a little tipsy. I should go…unless you want to stay that is."
Draco swallowed. He could feel Granger's (who honestly looked pretty good in a wedding gown…) gaze on his back.
"Come on, I'm sure you could use some help. Ron isn't exactly a lightweight," Draco said lightly.
Harry smiled.
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