Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
R/R please! Knowing it is liked, hated, or has a mistake is always better than nothing at all. Really.
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An Unexpected Proposal
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"Potter, why the hell are you in my office?" Draco said to his desk as he shuffled through a messy stack of papers. The higher ups were getting on his case about the newest magical flub seen by the damned muggles of London. A flying transport full of wolpertingers had cracked open as it passed over the National Gallery. A heavy rain of horned rabbits had not been in the daily forecast.
"I need a favor." Draco rolled his eyes and cast a pen controlling spell. He had a lot of documents to complete with the same information. No office in the Ministry was in the habit of sharing information and they got rather sour when given a duplo'd doc. His work was almost composed of a student's worst nightmare; doing lines in detention for the rest of his career. A hellishly dull job in every way.
As part of the Muggle –Worthy Excuse Committee the paper work often landed on his desk due to a mysterious case of 'It's not my problem' which had spread through all of the departments and then some.
Draco inwardly sighed. The paperwork itself was almost as bad as scrapping dead magical rabbit carcasses off the roadways and houses. He should have volunteered.
Goddamn pricks. Who would celebrate that infernal holiday by giving someone a mess of Bavarian magical nuisances? And fly them right across the city! Idiots.
"Er, Malfoy? I'm still here."
The white haired wizard clenched his teeth so hard he could hear micro fractures develop.
I will not explode or kill the Wizarding World's savior. I will not explode or kill the Wizarding World's savior. I will not –
"Thanks, that's nice to know." Potter's sarcastically replied.
He must have said it out loud.
What a horrid day.
"Anyway. About that favor. Listen – I can make a deal you know." The black haired auror said, pushing back his hair - coincidentally revealing the silvered scar on his forehead. And damned if he wasn't doing that on purpose.
Harry Potter was mocking him. Draco could see it plainly even if Potter didn't mean it intentionally. So many of his hopes and dreams based on that famous scar. Wishing that he could have it – for the fame, not the dead parents – to hoping the other boy would be one of his followers in school. He was going to ignore the wanting Potter dead dreams for now; the Ministry might have devised some sort of tool that could recognize murderous thoughts against its Golden boy.
Knowing his luck, it would be hidden somewhere in his very office and this was all staged so that he would be sent to Azkaban; Potter was probably the mastermind behind it all.
God. Potter is such a wanker.
Draco Malfoy wasn't going to fall for it. Nope.
"What in the world are you pouting about? I said I'd make a deal. I thought that would appeal to you." Potter's eyebrows were fluctuating faster than bats on a ceiling.
"Oh yes? And why would that appeal to me?" Draco hissed out angrily.
Behind his glasses Potter blinked. "Uh, is now a bad time?"
"Is. Right. Now. A. Bad. Time?" Draco repeated bitingly, the hovering quills scratching his words into the MWE reports.
Potter frowned. "Look, I just need a bit of help for something. No need to chew my head off – I'll find someone else willing to trade."
Draco's office invader took a step back, and waited as if he expected Draco to run and weep at his feet for the chance to help Harry Potter with something.
A thought crossed his mind. Draco crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. He could hear Potter out...? The great Harry Potter didn't visit with lowly office scrivener barely on the white side of the law for an acid pop or document.
Under the unseeing stare, the bespectacled wizard fidgeted.
"So…?"
"My lunch is in twenty minutes. Do you know where the Warbling Wendigo is?"
Potter nodded.
"I'll be there. You want a trade, you had best be there on time."
The black haired wizard smiled faintly and backed out the door and out of sight.
He left the door open.
Wanker.
Draco turned to his pages and cursed out loud. He'd have to do spend some time removing the last few lines.
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"You're late." Harry said.
Watching Draco stroll up to the table as dignified as he pleased only served to annoy Harry more.
The other man smiled wickedly and Harry could feel a headache starting to come on. Draco was going to make this as hard as possible.
Why couldn't Ron have some kind of dark arts item just lying around in the Weasley's garden?
"Well, Potter. Your face is looking quite bothered today; not enough renegade wizards for you to spell into walls?" The suave blond said taking his place at the beat-up table across from Harry.
The Wendigo was one of the seedier restaurants in the Alley, which was typical for any shop or bar that straddled the border of Diagon and Knockturn. Drinks were quickly delivered to tables and the rare wendigo pelt prowling along the snow encrusted ceiling kept patrons returning.
Harry grit his teeth. "Draco. That happened once."
The blonde wizard across the worn table continued to smile.
Harry wiped his hand against his brow.
Don't let him get to you. He's doing it on purpose. He'll keep taking and taking until he finds out just how much he can take.
His thoughts cooled down as he remembered just what was at stake here. Harry flagged over a server for the menus and water. Possibly alcohol. The Wyvern Roller was supposed to have one under the table in record time.
"Now Auror Potter, would you kindly enlighten me to this proposed trade were you need something from me."
Harry sputtered when Draco mentioned the word proposal – the man smiled meaningfully ready to –
Oh God.
Draco had it already figured out.
"How did you know?!" Harry whispered harshly across the table. Harry tried to think back on any time he might have mentioned what he was looking for, or why he needed it for his proposal. He was in danger of losing his job if he had mentioned it while in the Ministry; the walls had ears. There wouldn't be much that Kingsley would be able to do if his intended plan was overheard. It was election year after all. Said 'item' was not strictly legal. It fell quite far from the line of gray in all honesty.
The current loophole in the auror covenant would be removed soon after- Harry knew that for sure.
And he was lucky; Bell and Watts were alright with his plan. He owed them drinks for a year.
"Because, you already told me I have something you want." Malfoy said eying him as if he was a dangerous animal.
"No no no. How did you know I wanted to propose?" Harry said in confusion.
Malfoy's back snapped ramrod straight and he frowned angrily, a glare aimed at Harry's forehead.
"That's not funny Potter. There shan't be any dicking about with me. Your connections are not good enough to offset marrying you."
Harry threw himself backward as far into the booth cushioning as possible to get away from mind violating images Draco had just laid on the table.
Alcohol would be needed.
"Shit, no! You – that's not what I meant at all! Urgh!" Harry gripped his hair tightly and laid his head on the table. Ginny would be laughing right now.
"Careful Potter, if I need to shout rape I will." Draco sneered from the other side of the table.
Somehow, the lines of communication had gotten warped and tangled into something Harry wasn't even willing to contemplate.
"Coming to you was a terrible idea," Harry mumbled. He straightened up. "I thought I would be able to use my influence to get you out of that dead end job – but clearly you like it there. I'm just wasting my time." Harry brushed off his robes and turned to leave when he found himself being pulled back to the table.
"Potter! Sit down you've got my interest already, just tell me what it is you want," the white haired wizard whispered loud enough for Harry to hear.
Gotcha. The bastard had been messing with him smirked to himself and hoped the side of his mouth wasn't twitching upward. Draco glared.
Harry tugged his robes free of the long fingers grasping its edge.
He happily plopped back down in his seat. Squishing into the leather as the meaningless hubbub of people chatting in every sort of emotion washed over him.
From the table tapping the white haired wizard was doing, Harry supposed he should get the show on the road. He dug through the pockets of his robes – ah, damn. He had forgotten his Clangor clamper. He would have to manually spell the next part of their conversation unhearable to others.
Unfortunately for Draco, the waitress arrived to take their orders. While Harry was intent on getting this conversation over with, he couldn't let this opportunity to annoy Draco go. While the office wizard fumed in his booth corner, Harry took his time to order a delicious lunch. With alcohol – he wasn't on call today. And he would need it.
Auror Conway raved about the cheeseburgers here, so he ordered one as well.
"Are you done ordering yet?" The crooked bastard on the other side of the table asked.
The serving lady frowned at Malfoy's tone.
"Yes, Draco. I 'm done. Go ahead." Harry smiled and gestured for the other wizard to start.
"Just another water please."
"Oh come on Draco. This is your lunch time. Order something filling."
Draco gave him a look that caused him to snicker. The waitress wrote down Draco's new order, collected the menus and left them alone once again. Harry cleared his throat slightly and found cool gray eyes unblinkingly focused on him.
"Okay, well uh, I suppose I should start at the beginning –"
"Yes Potter – that is a much better place to start than the end." The scathing comment sailed over the table.
"No more snark. You will be gaining something from this after all." Harry said as he waggled a finger.
"You're going to make me spend my full lunch with you, aren't you Potter." Malfoy sighed.
"Possibly."
"Speak." The grey eyed wizard gestured with his hands for Harry to hurry the pace.
"Okay, well I want to propose to Ginny."
"What the hell Potter?"
"I want to soon." Harry continued, ignoring his unusual lunch companion.
"Ah?
"Shut up and let me finish."
The other wizard rolled his eyes.
"So I want to do it differently." Harry took a breath. "Like, it seems wizards either do it the old-fashioned way or they just up and get married simultaneously. I want her to have a traditional wizarding wedding you know? She wants it, but thinks I only want the painless version. But weddings are for women, yeah?" He waved a hand above the table. "She wants traditional. With the flying horses and stuff. But When I pop the question I really want it to be a surprise. I think she just expects me to do it any old time; and well – I want it to be extravagantly special."
"Uh- huh."
"Like in the muggle world, people come up with really elaborate proposals – words in the sky thousands of flowers. Very surprising for muggles – they can't just conjure all of that out of thin air. Lots of really neat ideas. Ideas that showed a lot of thought went into them. Impressive too." Harry's hands continued to gesture wildly as he talked.
"You could do all those things yourself. Why am I having lunch with you?" Clearly Draco Malfoy questioned what he had to do with any of this. His part was coming soon.
"Yes, I could do all those things." He acknowledged. "And, while I thought about just doing it alone with her like on a vacation, I – well. Everyone could – and does! Do it this way. I want it to be special, something that forty years down the line she could say only I did it that way. So I figured, making it a surprise would be completely unexpected and out of character for me. You know – romantically spice it up a little." Harry felt like he was smiling like a kid in a candy store. His cheeks felt a bit hot as well.
"Spice it up a little? Potter, I do not have a love life or entertain any of your weird muggle fantasies."
"But, Astoria?" Harry said with a small grin.
Draco's eyes widened for a quick second before they hooded themselves like a wary animal's. "I don't know what you are talking about. And one of the things I will require from you is a reservation at Al-mi'raj's. For Daphne."
"But what –" Harry was sure the Beholder's had mentioned Draco was often in contact with Astoria when they checked the messages departing and arriving Malfoy Manor.
"No buts Potter. Daphne. I know how to play this game, the wizard way." Harry had no idea what Malfoy was on about and if the wizard wanted to play with the hearts of two women – well, he assumed that the two sisters knew what they were getting into.
"Yeah sure. Insignificant love life after all though." Harry agreed, moving past Malfoy's dubious amorous encounters.
"You have strayed from the subject. Please enlighten me on the subject of you needing me." Damn, he had a nasty habit of enunciating any word declaring himself.
"Ah." He wished he could stall until the whiskey had arrived. Malfoy's earlier bitchiness seemed to have doomed them both to a longer than usual wait time.
Oh well. Harry slipped his wand out of his sleeve holder and tapped the table gently while whispering a recon remover spell the aurors used when needing to chat in a hot zone. A purple light rippled across the table; and to outside observers they were unnoticeable.
The server would still be able to find them, and the spell itself would last less than ten minutes. He'd just have to watch for the arrival of his alcohol.
"Potter, what are –"
"Shh. Muffliato." An extra layer of secrecy was never a bad idea.
"Oh nice Potter. One of his spells. Did you steal it from that potion book as well?"
He would be bitter about that wouldn't he?
"Draco calm down please. Remember, a better job. A reservation for Astoria." Harry said, casting a timer spell. The clock was ticking and hashing out something outside of the current year was not on his to-do list.
"Daphne." Malfoy stressed.
"Right. Daphne." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Well?" Draco was getting antsy.
"Yes – okay so then I saw something in a muggle newspaper and I thought it was cute. And very risky." Harry tried to conceal his excitement.
"I want to arrest her." Harry whispered his eyes nearly glowing in glee. "And when she is just about to be taken in, I'll propose. The team I work with already knows about it. They are willing to help. But I could do that anytime. I want to do it just as the Harpies are called into the stadium against the Magpies for the League Cup" He said quickly.
Draco looked at him as if his hair had caught fire.
"You are an idiot. That is the quickest way to a kick to the bollocks if you ask me. In fact, you should probably do it Potter."
"I didn't ask for your thoughts on the matter really." Harry licked his lips. Time to cut to the chase. "But I can't use auror hours and equipment if there isn't a need for them. I want it to be authentic. So, I need a dark artifact– at the very least."
"You need a what?"
"I need a dark artifact to plant on my girlfriend."
TBC