Word count: 5,851
Summary:Harry's been in a funk since the war, and Neville's always been there to help as best he can.
A/N:The only warnings are language and very mild boy on boy action. Also, I don't own Harry Potter. Enjoy!
Take a Break
After the war, Harry had a difficult time coping with all that he'd lost. Add on top of that breaking Ginny's heart, coming out, and losing his best friends to wedded bliss and parenthood, yeah, he was kind of losing his shit. Even though that was 10 years ago, he couldn't quite get over it
Luckily, his fellow colleague and considered current best friend, Neville, had ways to take his mind off of things. It was summer and he'd suggested going to New York for a couple of weeks. He wanted to give Harry the opportunity to relax and enjoy being 27; if anyone deserves that, it's him. They decided to appear as the everyday Muggles as to not bring attention to The Boy Who Lived To Save the Entire Fucking World, so two weeks before the trip, Neville booked a flight to Manhattan and bought both of them cell phones and suitcases.
On May 10th, the two men met at the Ministry and Harry redeemed his favor of a vehicle from Minister Shacklebolt. When Neville and Harry arrived at LHR, they quickly made sure the spell on their shrunken belongings were intact, and headed to have their luggage placed on the plane and their carry-ons checked. Half an hour later, the men were boarding the small airline cruiser and quickly took off to Manhattan.
The cruiser made its descent into the city, and Harry was personally happy that he didn't have to listen to any more babies cry or argue with barking stewardesses. At baggage claim, luckily, they got everything they'd entered LHR with; Harry'd heard stories. While Harry went to Starbucks to get two iced mochas, Neville rented a car for them for the next three weeks.
Once in room 419 at the Hyatt Hotel, the friends disrobed to take a much needed nap; they'd flown 12 hours just to get to New York and still have to drive an hour just to get there.
2 hours later, Neville woke Harry by lightly slapping him with a menu.
"Hey, what the bloody hell was that for, Nev? You could've taken my eye out, you wanker!"
"Oh rubbish. Come on, what do you fancy? I'm starving." Neville flipped the menu for room service, closely reading every entry. "Mmmm, key lime pie…"
"Nev, we have to eat actual food, don't you reckon? Here let me see that…"
After a long pause in which Harry read the entries, Neville said,"Harry, how're doing with this little funk you've been in?"
Harry just kept looking through the menu as if nothing'd been said. "It's alright, you don't have to say anything," Neville said, clasping a hand to Harry's shoulder.
"Hmmm, how 'bout we get some sushi?"
"Yeah," said Neville in a small voice; he was really worried about his friend.
The next morning when Harry woke up, Neville had already left, so he turned over and snuggled deeper into his blanket. Two hours later, he made himself coffee and sat on the balcony overlooking the streets of Manhattan.
Neville joined him not long after, saying he had a surprise. "I know you've come to appreciate Muggle music over the years, so I scored us two tickets to a concert next weekend. It lasts for three days, mate. Won't that be fun?" Neville held them out for Harry to see.
"Bamboozle? You know, I've never actually been to a concert. I suppose I approve…" he said, smirking slightly.
Six days later
"Come on, Harry, we're gonna be late!"
"Hold your damn horses, Nev. You're the one who insisted on dressing up for this thing. I just need to fix my tie…"
"It's just courtesy. House opened ten minutes ago! Get a move on!"
Harry just mumbled to himself. Tonight, they were going to see Wicked then have dinner and drinks at a nearby restaurant; honestly, Harry couldn't wait. "Alright, I'm ready." He followed his friend to the lobby and out toward the rental.
Harry and Neville made their way through the crowd still lingering outside the theatre; Harry was startled to learn he'd been not-so-quietly singing to himself "Defying Gravity" when Neville nudged him in the ribs and smirked. At Ruby Foo's, Harry had a bacon burger and several appletinis, and Neville had the pasta and a few Heinekens. The two walked back to the hotel, stumbling over each other while trying to hold one another up, garnering stares from passersby on the streets.
The two made it to 419, giggling like schoolgirls and each running into a wall. "Mate, mate," Harry said, practically shrieked, eyes wide. "Best. Night. EVER!" He plopped down onto his bed, giggling like a madman again, and Neville snorted at him.
Neville got water from the tap. "Here, mate. We can't have you hung over for the concert tomorrow; drink up! And don't go to sleep until you've sobered up some!"
"Yes, Mother….hehehehe!"
"Oh, Merlin…" Neville said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes
May 19, 2007
"Harry, wake up! Bamboozle's in two hours, you lazy-arse!"
"*grumble* Five more minutes, Aunt Petunia…."
Neville picked up a pillow from the other side of Harry's bed and launched it at his head.
"Hey!" Harry jumped out of bed.
"Why do you take so long to do everything? Merlin, when you came out, I never thought you'd turn into such a girl…Hey!" Neville narrowly missed a pillow right to his nose. "Come on, take a shower, put on sunscreen, get your camera and sleeping bag, whatever bollocks you need. T-….110 minutes!"
"Yeah I'm going, I'm going…."
Neville heard the water start running about 3 minutes later. He was a little worried; would Harry be mad? Would he feel betrayed? Oh no….. No. This would be fine. He can't hold on to animosity for 10 whole years, can he? That's ridiculous, of course he'd be alright, maybe even grateful.
He was so deep in thought, he didn't even hear the water stop. Harry stepped out with a towel slung over his waist, with a vision correction spell in place and newly shaven. "Nev, hand me my khaki shorts please. "
Neville nodded his head, handed Harry the clothes, and averted his gaze to his feet, smirking. Yes, he was straight, mostly, but he had to appreciate his best friend's beauty. He sent a quick text to Pansy while Harry changed into his khaki shorts and gray muscle shirt. He and Harry both checked their backpacks again to make sure they had everything.
Sunglasses
Cap
Light jacket
Sleeping bag
Travel pillow
Water
Miniature fa-
"Nev, thanks for all this. After Hermione and Ron decided to go off the grid to live happily married and raise a family out of the spotlight, I would've never expected to have such a good friend. It's great to get away from England and all the pressure."
"No problem, Harry. I kind of understand. Right after the war, the Ministry was up my arse about becoming an Auror. They couldn't understand that just because I acted brave my last year off school, that didn't mean I wanted to do it for the rest of my life…" He finished checking his bag and motioned to Harry that they should get going.
They got to New Jersey 20 minutes before the gates opened
Day One of Bamboozle-
Neville and Harry were checked by security and made their way to the t-shirt stand, deciding on two plain black shirts with "Bamboozle" in white letters across the chest and a clown design underneath; Neville put his in his bag while Harry took off his shirt and pulled his over his head. It hugged his torso perfectly, lying tightly against his well-defined pecs and abdominals. You're into Hannah, Nev. They stopped near the closest stage, and listened to the band...As Tall As Lions? Not too bad. Suddenly, he felt a buzzing in his pocket, which freaked him out until he remembered he had a Muggle cell phone in his pocket.
Hey, just got here. You still wanna do this rt? ~Pans
Yea, I do. We got here ten minutes ago. When should we meet up? -Nev
Wait a bit, maybe 2nite b4 the concerts over for tdy. Ur planning on staying the nite, rt? ~Pans
Yea, okay, see you then. –Nev
He was amazed he understood Pansy Nott's 'text speak'. Utter nonsense…Harry was looking at him curiously, so he just walked up, slapped Harry on the back, and continued watching the performance. They wandered around the field, stopping in to listen to each band for a few minutes, until they bought hotdogs and sat at a bench to eat their lunch. "Harry, mate, are you having fun?" asked Neville.
"Yeah, I'm having a great time, actually. Thanks again for doing all this. You realize this is exactly the kind of music I LOVE, yeah?"
"Yeah, I do. Listen do you need to talk about what's been going on lately? You seem so closed off and remorseful sometimes…"
"Actually, no, I'd rather not discuss it. I came with you to take my mind off everything going on. I really don't want to bring us both down; we're supposed to be having fun!"
"Alright, just know I'm always here for you. "
"I know Nev," Harry beamed at his friend.
After they ate, the two walked around, listening to the different bands, occasionally commenting on the lead singers' voices and the acoustics…Merlin, I hope this impromptu reunion doesn't make things worse…And Harry decided to sit down under a tree; Neville promptly followed, sitting down and making meaningless small-talk. Harry took off his shirt, balling it up, and put it under his head; he needed to rest a bit, because the sun had taken a bit out of him.
"Nev, will you reapply sunscreen to my back before I doze off?"
"…Yeah, Harry. Turn over."
Harry rolled onto his stomach and handed his best friend the tube of sunscreen. Neville spread a thin layer of the gel over Harry's muscular shoulders; slowly he rubbed it into Harry's back. He could feel the tension in his best friend, so instead of stopping when the sunscreen was fully worked in, Neville kneaded Harry's muscles until they relaxed. He heard Harry let out a small sigh and smiled to himself. He moved to the man's shoulders and upper arms; "Thank you Nev, that feels amazing…"
After Harry woke from his short nap, he saw that Neville had a wash cloth, soaked with cold water.
"Here, you're probably sweating a bit. Also, I bought us some frozen lemonade…"
"Hmmmm, thanks, mate."
They just hung out the rest of the day, under that same tree, talking and listening to music. Fortunately, they had apparently chosen the Oak directly across from one of the main stages; Harry particularly took notice of a band called 'Paramore'.
As night fell over them, Harry and Neville fished out their sleeping bags and picked out a fairly flat patch of grass. Neville looked a little nervous but Harry decided not to bring it up; bad decision, he decided, as he saw none other than Pansy and Theodore Nott, and Malfoy. Great….Harry just continued with his musings, laying out his sleeping bag and extra blankets, fluffing his travel pillow.
"Potter," Malfoy said by way of greeting. "Fancy meeting you here. Aren't you teaching at Hogwarts? Why are you in New Jersey? Wh-"
"NOT that it's any of your business, Malfoy, but I'm here with Neville…."
"Ah, finally came out I see. Took you long enough. I thought Pomfrey'd find you with your eyes permanently popped from your head in the quidditch locker room. But Longbottom? Merlin, Potter, you have low standards," he said, sneering.
"Shut your mouth, Malfoy! You such an arrogant arse…."
Neville, Pansy, and Theo slowly walked away. Harry and Malfoy were in each others' personal space now, yelling and earning stares from nearby concert-goers. After five minutes of heated back-and-forth, they finally realized their friends had disappeared, and both sat on a log, huffing like petulant children. After a while, Harry decided to use this Muggle cell phone he refused to use since he got to America.
Where'd you go? HP
He waited for Neville to reply, but decided to just let go of his stubbornness after his phone was inactive for three whole minutes. He sighed; "Here, Malfoy, take a blanket. You're shivering. Why don't you call Pansy?"
"NOT that it's any of your business, Potter, but I didn't bring my cell phone," he spat, throwing Harry's words back at him. When Harry offered his, he just said, "The beauty of phones: they store contacts. If I knew her number from memory, I wouldn't be here in agony with you…"
"Why must you be such a git, Ferret? It's been ten years. Seriously, why can't you just let it go?"
Malfoy mumbled something, and snorted slightly. Harry was progressively getting angrier, and he couldn't get a hold on his temper; why did Malfoy always ruffle his feathers? "WHY? What the hell is wrong with you? What's your sodding problem with me?"
"Potter, don't get your knickers in a twist. I just can't believe you didn't go with Weasel and Granger when they left…."
"What does that have to do with anyth-"
"Think about it Potter. They left to get away from the press. Why do you think I hated you back in school? All I thought you ever wanted was attention; I'm sure it's the same reason you hated me. And from what I've seen, you haven't changed since Hogwarts…."
"Malfoy, I didn't go because I don't run away from my problems! Plus, by then, I was teaching and I couldn't just leave that. I don't buy that that's it though. You seem to despise my very existence; and contrary to what you believe, I never hated you."
"Just drop it, Potter, it doesn't matter."
Harry sighed. "Look, it's getting kinda late. Do you have your stuff?"
"Yeah. Is it alright if I sleep right here?" he asked in a small voice, motioning to the area Harry and Neville had chosen.
"Sure," Harry replied, unzipping his sleeping bag and stepping into it. He pulled his blanket up to his chin and turned on his side, facing a tree. Why the bloody Hell am I nervous? Slowly, he fell into a fitful sleep.
Day Two of Bamboozle-May 20, 2008
Neville slowly walked to the small patch of grass he left Harry at last night. As he approached, Draco shifted in his sleep and reached out towards Harry's outstretched hand, whimpering. What the-? He quickly shot a text message to Pansy; she and Theodore had still been cuddling, quietly talking, and stealing kisses when he left.
Hey Pansy. I just came to check on Harry and as you suspected Draco's stayed here too. Is Draco okay, though? He just reached out for comfort in his sleep and whimpered something. Maybe I should talk to him when he wakes up?- Nev
OMG srsly dude you need to learn txt speak. Dnt worry abt it~ Pans
Whatever. Draco whimpered again and Neville hesitated for a second before reaching out and lightly caressing his arm. Draco calmed down and snuggled into…Harry's blanket? Hmmmm…. Harry stirred awake and his eyes fluttered open. Neville walked over to him and sat down, just waiting for the Inquisition.
"Nev, where the hell were you last night? Why didn't you answer my text? I knew these stupid Muggle phones were unreliable. I felt kind of abandoned, and with him no less."
"I didn't want to get in the middle of it. Plus I was tired…"
"And Pansy and Theo? Were they with you?"
"Yes, Harry. And I'm sorry I left you alone. I was here for five minutes before you woke up and you didn't whimper or toss and turn for once," but Draco did, he added to himself. "Can I assume you didn't have any nightmares?"
"No, I didn't. I guess I was tired from bickering with Malfoy last night."
"Your level of wear has never bee-"
"Oh, look, they're setting up for the day. We should get going…"
Neville sighed. Someday I'll get him to open up. He proceeded to gently rouse Draco from his sleep, who flinched but settled when Neville gently caressed his arm again.
"Longbottom."
"Hey, don't get in a tizzy. I just wanted to let you know they're setting up and offer to get you something to eat…?"
"Why are you being so bloody nice? I've been an arse to you our whole lives."
"Guess I'm just willing to let go of the animosity. We've both grown up, and I'm not going to hold your past against you."
"Well, thanks, Longbottom."
"Please, call me Neville. Fresh start?"
"Yeah, I reckon that's a good idea." Draco smiled and gently shook Long-Neville's hand. "Breakfast sounds great, if the offer still stands. Where's Potter?"
"Of course, I'll get you something while you dress. Harry's already up there, getting food. Would you like water or do you want me to see if they have coffee?"
"Either or, doesn't really matter. Thanks, Neville."
"Wow, two 'thanks' in one day. Well, now I just feel special."
"Wanker," Draco muttered, then shooed Neville away.
Neville walked up to small kiosk they set up; Oh good, they do have coffee. Ooooh, and blueberry muffins. He got two of both and sidled up next to Harry to walk to the impromptu camping site. "Harry, don't be so hard on Draco. If you took the time to get know him, I think you'd like him. Really, he seems…kinder."
"Hmmm.."
Neville sighed loudly. This was getting ridiculous. "Harry, talk to me. I feel like a shitty friend but it's all because you refuse to open up to me. You're even guarded when you're drunk, for Merlin's sake. Let me help you…"
Harry out of nowhere hugged Neville, almost making him drop his and Draco's breakfast. When he pulled back, Neville saw Harry had unshed tears in his eyes. "Hold on, best friend, let me drop this off," he said, motioning to the muffins, napkins, and drinks. He gave Draco his breakfast, and headed to sit next to where Harry sat, against the bark of a tree.
"You're not staying?" Draco asked in a somewhat pathetic voice.
"I'll be back in a few minutes; I just need to talk to Harry for a bit."
Where the hell are you? Damage control's hard when you're just one person!- Nev
Sry enjoying my HUSBAND. They'll be fine. You'll be fine~ Pans
Neville sighed again. Why did everyone have to put so much pressure on him all of a sudden?
He sat next to Harry, spreading his legs out in front of him. "I can't stay too long, Draco's waiting and Pansy's being a bit-"
"Nev, why does everyone leave me? Aren't I worth staying for? You're my only real friend who hasn't abandoned me when I really needed you. Even the other Weasley's barely keep in touch, except George. But with Angelina pregnant, I doubt I'll get the occasional owl from him anymore. What's wrong with me?" Harry burst into tears, and Neville scooted closer to hold him.
"Harry, their decisions have nothing to do with you; there's nothing wrong with you. You need to really ease up on yourself. This self-loathing since the war is unfounded, mate. You saved the entire wizarding world, and if that doesn't alone make you great, look at everything else you've done. You're a great godfather to Teddy, an exceptional DADA teacher, loyal friend; hell, you even reached out to Dudley and his family. Look, I'm really glad you finally talked to me. And I assure you, you'll have to move hell and high water to get rid of me. I love you, Harry."
"I love you too, mate."
"Okay, let's go find Draco, yeah? He's been alone long enough."
"Yeah."
When they approached Draco, he looked as nonchalant as ever, but Neville could see something akin to relief spread over his face. "Sorry we took so long, Draco."
"It's alright," he said, flashing his eyes skeptically to where Harry stood.
Neville crouched down to where Draco was nibbling on his muffin. "Look, I know you're hesitant, but Harry's a great guy. I think if you two were to put aside your differences, you could be really good for each other."
"Whatever L-Neville."
The three of them ate, making small talk, and soon Pansy and Theo joined them. After they were done, the five walked around the festival together. After half an hour, they all laid under the tree from Harry's first-day-nap; Pansy sat in Theo's lap, and Neville sat in a semi-circle in between Harry and Draco. Again, the bands on the main stage today were exceptional. Draco offered to get them all nachos to share, and surprisingly Harry went with him to help carry the refreshments.
"Nev said I should get to know you better," blurted Harry.
"Really smooth, Potter," Draco quipped, quirking his lips into his signature Malfoy smirk. "But, yes, he suggested the same to me. So I guess it's worth a try….I mean, if you want to."
"I guess that'd be okay, Draco." He smiled kindly at Draco as they got in line at the concession stand.
"I agree, Harry," he chortled. That sounds….different. They made their way to the front, ordered the large nachos and five waters, and then headed back. "What the bloody-?"
"Don't ask me, I took a piss by that big Oak tree over there and when I came back, they were gone," explained Neville.
"More for us, I guess," piped up Harry, setting down the big plastic bowl of nachos onto the blanket.
They shared their lunch, talking and enjoying the bands' performances; it was almost like they were all old friends. I guess I did do the right thing. A breeze rolled through, and Harry quickly threw on a light sweatshirt as did Neville. Ummm?
"It's fine….I guess Pans took most of the stuff from my bag. Maybe she forgot hers…."
"Oh for the love of-. Come here."
Neville was a little surprised and quite honestly proud that the words were uttered by Harry. He took out a blanket (he only had thin ones since his sleeping bag was thick), handed it to Draco, and scooted closer to him. …..?Sigh.
"I think I'm gonna get up a bit closer. That 'crowd-surfing' thing looks kinda fun."
"Yeah, until they drop you," mumbled Draco. Neville just shrugged and walked to the large crowd assembled around the stage. Story of the Year…hey I know this band! Neville moved the crowd until he was in the middle. An attractive man with blonde hair (looks like one of those surfer-guys) offered to lift Neville up and the rest was history.
Meanwhile, back at that damned Oak tree, Harry could feel Draco was still shivering a little bit. He offered to give his sweatshirt but he refused. "It's fine. I'm sure I'll warm up here in a minute."
"You're such a stubborn-arse. Come on," Harry said, nodding. He leaned fully on the tree, opening up his arms. Draco slipped into them and splayed the blanket over both of them, leaning his head on Harry's chest. This feels way too comfortable…
"Who's this band?" Draco asked, eyes closed; he looks really at ease in my arms… "Harry?"
"Oh, I think it's a band called Story So Far or something."
"That was really helpful Potter." He smirked into Harry's chest. "Really are you this eloquent with your students?"
"Shut up," Harry chortled.
When Neville got up to the front (it's a big crowd) and helped over the rail, he started to head towards the tree, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Harry and Draco…cuddling? Merlin. I guess I'll give them some space. Maybe I'll look for Pansy and Theo. Five minutes later, he found them at another stage, Theo standing against the rail around the sound system, Pansy leaning back against him; he was lightly kissing her neck every now and then. I guess they are a pretty cute couple… he quickly changed his mind when Pansy turned around and started snogging Theo.
"Hope I'm not interrupting," Neville said loudly, and Pansy smirked at him over her husband's shoulder.
"Well, actually, we were just planning to go to the portables…."
"Shut up," said Neville and Theo at the same time.
Harry woke up to a head of silver-blond hair tucked into his chest….Wait, what the…..He didn't want to wake Draco, mostly because he didn't know what he'd say if he did. It definitely wasn't because he didn't want to let go of his warmth…
Mmmmm… Draco hadn't felt this safe since Collin left him for that Australian bloke, and that was two years ago. I don't even wanna move….Merlin, I've missed this.
"Draco?" Harry whispered against the shell of his ear. "Could you shift your weight? My hands falling asleep."
"Sorry," he muttered, and sat up. "Thanks for that. I kinda really miss being enveloped in a strong man's arms…"
"Wait, you're gay? I thought you were just cold."
"No. Just no, okay? I'm not coming onto you Potter. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I want the precious Golden Boy's cock," he spat
"Okay, look, that came out wrong; I'm sorry. And honestly I enjoyed holding someone, just….chill out okay? Don't be so defensive. You of all people should know I have a bad case of foot-in-mouth. So let's just talk alright?"
"Sure….hey where do you think Neville got off to?"
"Are you really that repelled by the idea of just talking to me?"
"NO! No, I'm just worried; sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Ju- can we go back to five minutes before now?"
"We were cuddling five minutes before now," deadpanned Harry.
"Would that be so bad?" asked Draco in a small voice. "I like feeling that protected."
"Of course not…. Come here?"
Draco snuggled into Harry's warmth, taking a whiff of his masculine fragrance. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Just, everything, I guess. How's your mother?"
"She's alright I guess. Better than she was, definitely. She took when father died. But I haven't actually seen her for a while. I think she's seeing someone though…"
"How've you not seen her? The manor can't be that spacious?"
Draco snorted. "It's hard to keep up with me living in New York and her in Paris."
"So you live here?"
"Yeah. Pansy, Theo, and I moved here about a little over six years ago. We decided we couldn't stand being treated like vermin anymore and then Theo proposed to Pansy, so we chose to make completely new lives for ourselves."
"So, what have you been doing since you moved here?"
"Well, when we first got here, we all bought an apartment together in Queens. Really shitty little dump actually. I enrolled in a community college and was working toward my associates in fine arts while they planned their wedding. It was pretty tough at first living in such a fast-paced city, without a job, having to rely on my friends; I made it work though. The Notts were married June 12th, 2003, and I was Theo's
best man. I was happy for them, really, but I was so lonely. In school I was such a lady-killer, and it seemed like now that I'd realized I liked men, suitors were avoiding me like the plague; I couldn't understand it, and honestly it made me feel so fucking undesirable and unwanted. So I just tried to throw myself into my schoolwork. I probably overdid it; scratch that, I did overdo it. I went straight on to earn my masters degree in two. After graduation, Pansy and Theo took me to a really nice pub; O'Toole's, I think it was called. Anyway, that's the night I met Collin. He was so charming and lovely…I really didn't stand a chance. I thought he was flirting with Pansy at first, but Theo wasn't jealous, which is very rare I might add.
"At 4am the pub was about to close, and he pulled me into a dark corner, leaned in close, gave me his number, and kissed me behind the ear; again, I didn't stand a chance. He was my first boyfriend, and I really fell hard; I guess that's why it hurt so much when he packed up all his things and left without a word. A week after he left, I got an email from an unknown contact; I emailed him back but either he ignored it or deleted the account. After that the Notts and I both moved to separate apartments, and I got a gig showing artwork at a gallery in New York City. It's all decent work, and I can provide for myself now. I just felt so distant from my two best friends." Draco took a hold of Harry's hand and sq2ueezed it reassuringly. "I was so happy when they invited me to this thing; I've really missed them. This isn't fair. I feel like I've bared my soul to you. Spill…"
Harry chuckled. "Well you seem to know most of it. After the war, I felt horrible. They offered me a job in the Auror department, but I just couldn't deal with seeing people suffer anymore. You'd think I'd want to help stop all that, but I was just burnt out on being the hero. I was really happy when Minerva offered me the DADA position. I tried to make a quiet life for myself, but the Prophet kept trying to butt into it, as well as Ron's and Hermione's, who had gotten married right after Voldemort was killed. They thought it was perfect, start a new life, celebrate our victory; but the Prophet snooped even further into their personal lives so they moved off the coast of Nova Scotia. I completely understood why they did it, but it still sucked bollocks. One night, I went to the Hog's Head during the summer of my second year, got pissed, and ended up on my fellow Professors' doorstep. Neville and I have been best friends since."
"I'm sorry," Draco mumbled into Harry's shirt.
"I guess I'm just really lonely too. I've actually never had a boyfriend. My life, aside from helping raise Teddy and teaching, is actually really pathetic."
"How is my cousin anyway? Aunt Andromeda doesn't have the time to really keep me informed."
"He's okay. Really looking forward to going to Hogwarts next year; I can't wait to spend more time with him."
"Wait, how c-"
"Minerva let Neville and I leave early. Neville told her the situation and agreed I deserved it. Our students have substitutes through the end of the year."
Harry and Draco stayed joined at the hip the rest of the day, talking, laughing together, and enjoying the bands. At 7pm, Harry, Draco, Neville, Pansy, and Theo set up their sleeping bags and started winding down. At 8:50, the last band finished their set, and all the lights went down around the field. Theo and Pansy shared a bag; Neville really didn't want to be next to them.
Approaching midnight, Draco startled awake, blinking in the moonlight. He didn't know what woke him; all he knows is he has an uneasy feeling. Slowly he crawls over to Harry.
"Harry?" he whispers. "Harry, can I sleep with you?"
"Finally taking home-field advantage, yeah?"
Draco could hear the sarcasm in Harry's voice. "Don't flatter yourself, Potter. I just don't think I'm gonna be able to get back to sleep alone."
"Oh now you're using me, are you?"
…
"Wow, I rendered Draco Malfoy speechless. I'm so proud. Come here."
Draco crawled into Harry's sleeping bag, wrapping himself around Harry's muscular body. Harry draped the bag and the blanket over both of them. They lay there, staring at each other for what seemed hours, until Draco nuzzled into Harry's shoulder then kissed his neck gently. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco tightly and moments later, they both fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.
Day three of Bamboozle-May 21, 2008
Draco woke up to the sound of Pansy clearing her throat. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Harry was still asleep and Pansy was standing in her bra and underwear, smirking at him Merlin, she's getting good at that. When he realized her state of undress, he groaned and tucked his head into Harry's chest. I do not want to think about what my friends did last night. Ugh, straight sex is so gross. After a while just lying there, content in Harry's arms, Draco decided he was being a lazy-arse and lightly peppered kisses up and down his neck and all over his face. Harry fluttered his eyes open and met Draco's lips half-way to the shell of his ear. Pansy snorted and Harry groaned and flipped them over so he could envelop Draco in his arms, partially on top of him.
"No, no, no. You lazy-arses need to get up. It's nearly half ten. Nev and Theo already went to get breakfast from the kiosk. The bands have already been playing for half an hour. Oh come on!"
"You should put on some clothes, Mrs. Nott," mumbled Draco.
"Oh Draco, darling, just because you aren't getting any doesn't mean we all have to be miserable, you bitter old snake."
Draco groaned into Harry's bare chest (when did that happen?) and Harry laughed out loud.
Theo and Neville returned, their arms full (thank Merlin Pansy got dressed) and the five ate, holding a steady conversation throughout; Pansy and Theo occasionally stealing kisses and exchanging heated glances. Ok, ewwwww. I really think we should get away from them. Those kisses are lingering too long.
"Harry, Neville, why don't we go to our Oak tree?" They followed him down to the patch where they had a perfect view of the stage. "What do you two think of leaving around midday? I could show you around New York City, maybe even my gallery downtown."
"That sounds great, Draco! I'm having fun and everything, but I can't wait to be inside again," Neville chuckled. He got up to find a trash can, leaving Harry and Draco leaning against the trunk.
"Last night…"
"Draco, we both needed the contact. I liked it, you liked it; I'm only here for another week, and I don't think we should complicate things by trying to label whatever this is. Let's just enjoy this, yeah?"
"Okay."
"You know, before we leave, you should really try that 'crowd-surfing' thing. Just don't get caught in the 'mosh pit'. "
At noon, Harry, Neville and Draco got into the rental and drove all the way to New York City.
"This city is amazing," said Harry. "All the buildings-!"
"Calm down, Potter," Draco said with a lopsided smile quirking his lips. They pulled into the parking garage of Draco's building and Harry and Neville stood, gaping like fish.
"Work's decent?"
"My artwork's become a hot commodity, Potter."
"I can see that," said Harry, smiling at Draco warmly.
I kinda love how this story worked out. I wasn't planning on them doing anything other than cuddle the first time but, oh well lol. Thank you to everyone who added this story to their Favorite's and Alerts. I'm thinking of writing a sequel, so let me know what you think! Cuddle bugs to everyone who reviews!