As the Petals Fall
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, and only own the original characters that I have made myself. Don't sue me.
Chapter One – Shop around the Corner
Have you ever walked into a bookstore and just felt the calm? It's like the books reach out to you, soothing your soul. Why? Because in a bookstore, you can find anything you imagine. You can find books that take you away from your world, away from your worries. You can find a present for a friend, or even a child. Or you can just find a bit of solitude and calmness as you browse through all of the dusty shelves, not looking for anything in particular.
Hestian Books in Diagon Alley was a store just like that. If you walked in, the scent of old books was almost overwhelming, calming the senses. Shelves lined all of the walls and filled the back portion of the store. Piles of books laid all over the place, just waiting to be placed on one of the many said shelves. In the front of the store, was a desk, where one man stood, placing some of the books on the shelf behind him. Looking at him, one would think he was underfed, for his body was quite thin and some bones stuck out a bit. Even after years of trying to tame his raven colored locks, his hair was a shaggy mess and would forever remain that way. His skin was smooth and without blemishes on a good day. But today he sported quite a few bruises on his neck, arms and one on his face. Not to mention his left wrist was in a brace. He hadn't grown much since school, his thin body not reaching much higher than 5'6''.
His tired green eyes peered at the piece of stationary that lay on the desk before him as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was a letter from on of his dearest friends and business partner:
Harry,
Sorry for not being in today. I know your wrist is bothering you. The doctor wanted to have another checkup. I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't overexert yourself, Harry! Just take care of any customers. Ron can come to help with putting some books away later.
Hermione
The man took a moment to look at the letter, smiling. His friend had the life she always wanted. A mother of one, with another on the way. She married Ron, of course. They decided to open the store together a few years earlier. Of course, when Ron wasn't busy with his job at the Ministry of Magic, he was there helping him and his eight months pregnant wife. Their six-year-old daughter, Angela, was starting her first year in elementary school. It was obvious that the girl had inherited both Ron's red hair, but Hermione's smarts.
When Harry woke up for work with all of his new bruises, he was sure that his coworker was going to figure out what was going on. She was always far too smart. Not to mention, she always asked questions when he came in with some new injury. Usually, said injuries weren't so bad, but lately they'd been getting worse. He definitely wasn't about to tell Hermione about it, which would only make her worry more. No, there was nothing he could do about it anyway.
Frowning at this thought, the thin man moved from the desk to put some more books away. Grabbing a pile, he stepped onto the ladder and began to ascend to the top. Just as he began, he heard the bell on the front door ring, someone coming into the store. It was rather good timing too, considering Harry happened to lose his footing and began to fall from the ladder. It didn't quite help when he grasped for the ladder with his left hand, his wrist stinging.
But there was nothing to worry about because he found himself enveloped in a pair of strong, and strangely familiar arms from behind him. It was the kind of embrace that reminded him of someone from his past; someone who had once held him this way, protecting him always.
"You haven't grown much since school," came the smoothly debonair voice of one Draco Malfoy. Harry didn't have to turn around to know that the blond was there. He did anyway, instinctively pulling himself away from the embrace. Draco Malfoy had certainly gotten bigger since school; in a good way, that is. He was strong looking, the muscles very toned and attractive. It was easy for him to catch the flimsy frame of Harry. His gray eyes still held all of the arrogance that they had back in their Hogwarts days. Of course, somewhere in there was a bit of concern, though the man hid it well. Seeing the bruises on his Harry worried him. But he told himself that it wasn't his place to worry about the raven-haired man; not anymore.
Harry was about to make a remark in reply to his quip, but then noticed another much shorter blond. "Let me introduce you to my seven-year-old son, Kendrick," Draco said. The boy really was his father's son; blonde hair, gray eyes, pale glowing skin. He had every inch of beauty that his father did. Kendrick even had the same scowl on his face that graced the face of Draco many times throughout his years.
Seeing Kendrick made Harry's heart ache. It made him think of the relationship he'd had with Draco in the past…this was what the blond had left him for; to marry some pureblood girl and have children. Pansy Parkinson had been the lucky girl, just as Harry had expected. The fact that this child was the making of the pair of them made him stop breathing. "The resemblance is striking," he said before bending to be eye-level with the boy. "Is there something I can help you with?" He wasn't about to be rude to a child, regardless of the fact that his father had once broken his heart many years before.
"Actually, there's a list he needs to complete for his classes," Draco said, handing Harry a very neat piece of paper with a few titles written on it in perfect handwriting. Draco watched him as he went through the shelves to locate all of the books. He couldn't help but watch the thin figure of his ex-lover. There was something different about him; something almost broken looking. "Let me help. Your wrist is hurt." Draco went forward to where Harry was once again on the ladder.
"I don't need your help," came the cold reply. Draco backed off, knowing the man wasn't going to accept his help, whether he needed it or not. But Harry managed to gather all of the books on his own, then returning to the pair, bringing them over to the counter to ring them up. "So how's Pansy?" he said, his voice thick with hatred.
Draco frowned. "We're divorced." Harry, of course, knew this. It had been all over the Daily Prophet when the millionaire working for the ministry decided to divorce his wife. Of course, there had been stories of adultery and scandal on Pansy's part. But who could blame a woman? It was obvious that her husband had always been thinking of someone else…perhaps his green-eyed ex-lover. "What about you and that Malakai Ryans?" he questioned in turn.
He hadn't been expecting the question and flinched. Of course, his relationship with the famous Quidditch player had been all over the news as well. But he hated being asked about it. A feigned smile graced his face. "Oh, we're doing great. The Caerphilly Catapults have been having a good season too." He wanted desperately to make Draco jealous. It was the least he could do for what the man had done to him.
Suddenly, the door bell jingled again as two identical boys run into the shop. "Daddy!" one of them called. They both looked a lot like Harry. They shared his green eyes and messy black hair. Neither of them had glasses, one trait they had luckily inherited from their other father.
"Malfoy, these are my sons, James and Sirius. Boys this is my old acquaintance Mr. Malfoy and his son Kendrick," he said, but before he was done talking, the two twins were chatting away with Kendrick, who simply sat there and listened, obviously annoyed with the nuisances.
Draco was silent, almost stunned by the two boys. It was strange thinking that Harry had gone through the pregnancy of the two of them. "They're yours and Malakai's?" he asked.
"Who else's would they be? Who would have thought I'd have been able to bear children? If only you'd known sooner, huh?" he chided, a glint in his eyes. "Nine months of pregnancy and sixteen hours of labor." But he was happy with the two boys. They were his life and joy, his only reason for still being part of this world. He remembered the fear he'd felt when he first found out he was pregnant. But all of the sickness and pain had been completely worth it.
The chide had stung quite badly, but he couldn't blame Harry for being kind of bitter. The way they had last parted hadn't been very good. The breakup had been hard on both of them. Draco had his duties to his family to make heirs to the Malfoy name. It was his father's idea for him to marry Pansy. Now he knew it was a mistake to listen to him in the first place.
It was then that Harry's co-worker came into the shop, sporting a very large tummy. Her thick brown curls were pulled back into a very efficient looking bun. Pregnancy didn't keep the genius from looking her best when coming to work. "Harry, sorry for taking so long I—" It was then that she laid eyes on Draco Malfoy and his spawn. "What are you doing here?" she accused. It had been Hermione that Harry went to when Draco broke his heart. She remembered his sobs and the depression the breakup had sent him into.
"Forget it, 'Mione. He'd just here to get his son some books," Harry said as he accepted the money that Draco handed him.
The twins rushed to their aunt, hugging her. "How's the baby today?" James asked, placing his little hands on her tummy. Sirius did the same, copying his more dominant brother. Sirius had somehow ended up being the shyer of the two, though both were quite outgoing, even amongst strangers.
"You may have just gotten a divorce, but don't think that means you can come back into his life. You had your chance," she said, sporting quite a frown. It made her so angry to see the blond in their shop. Who did he think he was? Just showing up after ten years! And with a child, of course…She looked down at James and Sirius and gave them a smile. "The doctor said that he's doing well. In just one more month, you two will have another little cousin."
The two boys smiled. "Kendrick! Come feel the baby!" Sirius said to the small blond. The boy seemed to hesitate, looking at his father, who nodded in return. Kendrick smiled slightly and touched the stomach, feeling the baby inside kicking. His eyes widened. He'd never felt anything like it. "He's going to be our cousin! Auntie, can he be Kendrick's cousin too?" Sirius asked.
Hermione smiled. Though the blond child looked just like his father, she couldn't help but agree. "Of course, he can be. He seems to like him," she said, noting how much the baby just started to kick. She looked up at Draco and glared, just to remind him that he wasn't forgiven just because his child happened to be adorable. She then smiled over at Harry. "Harry, you can take the twins home now if you'd like. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of the store until Ron gets here."
This was the time of day that Harry hated the most. He didn't feel like going home to Malakai yet, but he didn't feel like being in the presence of Draco Malfoy either. His mind was a bundle of conflicts. "Uh, yeah…come on, boys. Say goodbye to Aunt Mione and your new friend. Er…Malfoy, I'd say it's been fun but…" he stared and simply shrugged, not bothering to finish before exiting the store.
Kendrick looked over at his father. "Father, why does that man not like you?" the boy asked curiously. He'd never encountered people who weren't nice to his dad. People weren't normally mean to millionaires.
Draco shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Ken," he said with a reassuring smile as he looked at his son.
"Is there anything else you need, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked coldly. "I don't want to say anything bad in front of your son, but if you don't make your exit soon, I might not be able to help myself." She couldn't stand the memories of a broken hearted Harry as he cried in her arms. Harry had put his all into their relationship, but it seemed that Draco's love for him hadn't been enough to keep them together. "If Kendrick needs something, he's welcome to come here, but don't you come near Harry. I'm warning you."
Draco scoffed. "That's enough, Granger. I came here for books, not your personal criticism of me. Kendrick, let's get going," he said, taking his son's hand and exiting the store.
As soon as Harry got into the house that he and Malakai owned, he sent the twins up to their room to play. He could hear his boyfriend in the other room and knew that he was not happy. "Kai?" he called out carefully, going into the family room, where his lover was drinking what had to be his sixth beer, judging by how many empty bottles were lying around on the ground. "You shouldn't be drinking this early in the afternoon."
Malakai was a very attractive man, even when he was drunk and angry. He stood at almost a head taller than Harry, his body full with muscles developed from his Quidditch training. His skin was very tan and smooth looking. Harry had to admit it was the blond hair on the man's head that had originally attracted him to the alcoholic. It reminded him of Draco. But his eyes were deep brown instead of the gray he wanted them to be.
When he heard Harry's remark, he was quick to push Harry to the ground, the thin man landing right on his arse. "Don't tell me what to do, whore," he growled, grasping Harry by his raven-colored locks. "Just do what it is you're good for," he said, rubbing Harry's face against his crotch area. The green-eyed man, of course, knew what his lover wanted. Figuring it would keep the bruises to a minimum, he unzipped the man's pants. When the throbbing organ inside was released, Harry didn't hesitate before taking it into his mouth. He was glad he'd sent his children upstairs. It would be unbearable for him if the two boys had caught him in such a position.
Malakai's moans began to fill the room. The Quidditch player grabbed onto Harry's hair, pulling it as to push his member all the way into his lover's mouth. Harry could only whimper and comply, almost gagging on the amount in his mouth. Tears began to fill the green eyes. This was why he hated coming home. There was something degrading always waiting for him. He was never sure what it was going to be, whether it is a beating or a rape, but whichever one Malakai chose…they hurt equally. "Fuck," the man moaned, as he came in Harry's mouth without any sign or warning really. Harry knew to swallow the substance, or he'd have another nice bruise for his collection for making a mess.
When the organ was pulled out of Harry's mouth, Malakai looked satisfied. He took Harry's chin in his hands, tilting it upward so he could bend down to attack the supple, pink lips with his own, his tongue joining the raid a few seconds after. Why did Harry let this man do these things to him? He was the Chosen One, the Boy who Lived, and yet this man had this power over him. Before it might have been out of love that Harry stayed, but now it was his children. He had to protect them. "I should…check on the twins," he said as Malakai started kissing down his neck.
"I'm not done with you yet," his lover replied.
"Kai, we have kids now. We can't just do it whenever you want," Harry said, pulling away from the man. Malakai kept a firm grip on his wrists though, and pulling him back towards him. Their bodies melded together, not a single space between them. "Later, Kai. When they're in bed." He pulled away once more, despite the fact that he knew Malakai was much stronger than him.
Slap! Harry fell backwards once again. Malakai was one top of him in a moment, trapping him against the floor. "Let's get one thing straight, Harry Potter." He grinned maliciously, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "You're nothing but a whore...And you belong to me."
Have you ever been in a mansion? You know that feeling of superiority it has over you as you walk through the long corridors and into the sitting room. Even when you walk into the kitchen, where you can be sure that the inhabitants of the house have never been due to their full cooking staff, there is a sense that you'll never be good enough to have such a nice abode.
But it wasn't in either of those places that Draco spent most of his time in the house. His place was the large office, which was where he did most of his work when he was home. But now he couldn't even think about work. All he was thinking about was Harry Potter. Those green eyes…how dull they looked in comparison to when they were kids…something about him seemed so changed, yet he was the same Harry that he'd loved, and still loved. And those bruises…! There was definitely something fishy going on.
Again, as Harry and Hermione had both reminded him plenty of times that day, it was no longer any of his business. He could no longer protect the man he loved, because he, too, had once hurt him. His fist came down on the desk, angry and frustrated. Sure, he'd known that going into that shop meant seeing his ex-lover, but he hadn't expected it to effect him so much. He couldn't think.
"Daddy?" came the voice of his son, as he stood by the office door. Draco waved him in. Kendrick came in and hoisted himself into one of the chairs. "Why did that man not like you?" he asked again, because he hadn't gotten the answer he wanted back in the bookstore.
Draco sighed, figuring he'd better tell the truth. "Well, Ken, I did something not so nice to him back when we were in school. It seems he's just not going to forgive me anytime soon." He was doing his best to put the situation delicately. His son wasn't going to have to worry about relationships for a long time, but still he had to go about this the right way.
"Why doesn't he forgive you? Didn't you apologize?" the boy asked, knowing it was always right to apologize when you did something wrong.
The blond man nodded grimly. "Sometimes when you do something that hurts a person a lot, an apology doesn't make it all better. And that person doesn't really want to see you anymore because they haven't forgiven you." Draco took a minute to look at his son. "Why are you so interested?"
Kendrick shrugged in the nonchalant Malfoy kind of way. "It's just that…I've never seen you sad before now. I thought nothing made you sad. Even when you and Mommy split up…you never seemed really sad about it," the boy replied.
Draco was rather surprised by this. His son seemed to be quite the observer. But he knew why he wasn't sad when he and Pansy got that divorce. There was never any love between them, just duty to their families. It had gotten quite out of hand. It seemed like the yelling never stopped. And then all of the sudden they just ignored one another, figuring the mansion was big enough that they wouldn't have to bump into one another for the most part.
But Harry's hatred of him was enough to make his entire body ache with sadness. Waking up to an empty bed, wishing the dark-haired man was there beside him…that made him sad. Seeing his ex-lover with Malakai Ryans in the newspaper all the time…and even meeting those twins in the bookshop…it made him want to sob. But he was a Malfoy…and Malfoys didn't sob.
Draco smiled at his son, the one joy left in his life. He didn't know what he would do without the little boy. Pansy barely even played a role in his life anymore now that they were divorced. The only reason she ever came around was to ask for money, which Draco was glad to give as long as she promised to stay away from him. "It's okay. I've got you, so I'm completely happy," he said, getting up from the desk so he could take his son up into his arms.
The little arms wrapped around his neck as Kendrick snuggled against him. "I'm happy too then," he said, his father giving him a kiss on the top of his head. "Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"When can I see the twins again? And Mione's baby?"
This surprised him considerably. His son wanted to play with the Potter twins. "I'll have to give their father a call. And we could always visit the bookstore." This was it. He was going to get himself back into Harry's life. And this time, he was here to stay.
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