Present day
"Potter...you have about five seconds to explain what the fuck you think you're doing before I reach for my wand."
He was deadly serious, Harry knew. In the five years they'd worked together as aurors, he'd gotten to know the adult version of Draco Malfoy quite well. He knew his personality and he knew his moods. Right now he was as angry as he'd ever seen him, and to be honest his fury was understandable. Harry fumbled for a response that wouldn't result in a duel breaking out in the middle of the fanciest Italian restaurant in the muggle section of London, but was spared from that hopeless endeavor by his companion.
"You will do no such thing, Draco." If she was feeling any semblance of the anxiety Harry was, it did not show in her voice or her body language. Draco glared at her, and she stared back and cocked an eyebrow at him as if he were being ridiculous.
"Stay out of this, mother. This is between me and Potter, so just-"
"This most certainly isn't between you and Harry," Narcissa cut in. "As you have obviously surmised, the two of us are on a date. With his hectic auror schedule we don't often have the opportunity to spend a night out together, and you've just interrupted this one."
"Wait. You're telling me this has happened before?!" Draco grimaced as if he'd swallowed something truly foul. "How long have you two been...been...this behind my back?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but we celebrated our four month anniversary two weeks ago."
"Four months?" Draco gasped, horrified. Harry stared down at his plate resolutely, suddenly finding his fettuccine alfredo quite fascinating. Narcissa alone remained calm.
"Indeed, four months," she confirmed. "And what a lovely four months." Harry felt her clasp his free hand and give it a squeeze, and looked up from his plate to see her smiling at him fondly. Seeing her beautiful face looking at him with such affection never failed to brighten his day. In spite of the incredibly awkward situation they currently found themselves in, he couldn't help but smile back. Predictably, this little exchange did nothing to improve Draco's mood.
"Stop that!" he whined. It reminded Harry of their Hogwarts days, when Draco would moan when things didn't go his way and rant and rave about what would happen when his father got involved. That side of his personality rarely came out these days, but the shock of stumbling upon his mother and childhood enemy-turned-coworker/friend on a date had brought it back to the surface.
"Draco, you will cease this infantile behavior immediately," his mother commanded. "You are causing a scene, and we're starting to get odd looks from some of the other patrons." Harry looked around and confirmed her statement for himself. This particular restaurant was designed to offer plenty of privacy for its guests, but Draco had been standing beside their table long enough to draw the attention of several of the nearby tables.
"What would you have me do, mother?" he moaned. "Shall I just leave so you and Potter can start shagging on the table?"
"This restaurant is a favorite of mine. I wouldn't dream of doing anything that could get me thrown out," she insisted. "The risotto comes first. After that, I had planned on sharing a dessert with Harry. Then we would go back to his flat, and then yes, we would make love for hours." She favored Harry with another smile, but this one was less tender and more suggestive. He swallowed and allowed his mind to wander.
"Oh Merlin, please stop talking!" Draco begged.
"That was how I'd intended for this evening to go, at least," Narcissa said as if her son hadn't spoken. "Until you interrupted us and rather spoiled the mood. What are you doing here, anyway? I've never known you to frequent any muggle restaurants."
"I followed you," he admitted.
"Excuse me?" came her reply. An edge that Harry hadn't heard in their four months together crept into her voice. "What reason could you have for invading my privacy?"
"I knew there was something you were hiding from me," Draco stated. He blanched when she started glaring at him, and hastened to justify his actions. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't caught up in anything dangerous!"
"We will be having a long discussion about my right to privacy later," she said. Draco could only nod in submission, but she wasn't finished yet. "As I said, your unexpected arrival has ruined my plans for the evening. But now that the secret is out, I think this is an opportunity for us to get everything out in the open. Why don't you join us, and we'll answer any questions you may have about our relationship, within reason of course?"
"You want me to join you? On your date with my partner?" Harry shared Draco's reluctance. He'd been looking forward to this night all week, but his lover's son joining them for dinner had certainly not been how he'd hoped things would end up.
"Or you could leave," she offered. "The night is young. Perhaps we'll be able to recapture the mood after all, and spend all night and well into the morning locked in a passionate..."
"I'll pull up a chair," Draco cut in quickly. "Let's start at the beginning. Tell me how all of this started. I don't care if it takes all night. In fact, I welcome it."
Five months earlier
Harry didn't think he'd ever been this bored in his life. Not even Binns droning on about goblin rebellions ad nauseam could match the mind-numbing tedium of an official Ministry function. He was here only because Kingsley had more or less insisted. If he didn't have such respect for the minister he would have left long ago.
"You look nearly as captivated as I feel," someone said from behind him. He turned towards the feminine voice and saw Narcissa Malfoy smiling at him knowingly. He smiled back and nodded even as he felt his heart speed up ever so slightly as he looked at this elegant woman in her flawless robes that perfectly accentuated her figure. She was old enough to be his mother, and in fact was several years older than his own mother would be if she were still alive. That didn't change the fact that he found her incredibly attractive, and that attraction made him nervous whenever he was in her presence. The last thing he needed was for her or even, Merlin forbid, Draco to pick up on anything.
"Good evening, Narcissa." They didn't speak often beyond exchanging pleasantries, but their paths did cross on occasion thanks to Harry's partnership and tenuous friendship with Draco. They were at least acquainted to the extent that they greeted each other by first name in conversation.
"And to you, Harry," she returned. "It's hardly a good evening, though, is it? I didn't think that fool Smith would ever stop talking."
"Tell me about it!" he said. "I can't tell you how much I envy Draco for being called in for duty tonight."
"Yes, he mentioned that when he flooed this evening. Something about a drunken fight between a half-blood and the son of a Death Eater? It sounded like it was pretty serious."
"Yep," he confirmed. "I still say he's lucky."
"Perhaps he is. Alas, the two of us do not share his luck. We're not only stuck here, we're alone to boot," she lamented. He nodded sympathetically but wasn't foolish enough to comment on the reason she was alone. She and Draco had escaped the fallout of the war unscathed, thanks at least in part to his own testimony on their behalf. Lucius had not been so lucky. With his long list of reprehensible crimes, Harry doubted that even his support would have kept the head of the Malfoy family out of Azkaban. Thankfully neither Narcissa or Draco had ever asked Harry to speak up on his behalf, and he certainly hadn't offered. Lucius Malfoy would spend what remained of his life in Azkaban. His presence was not mourned, not even amongst his own family.
"I never did hear what happened between you and the Weasley girl," Narcissa said, returning his attention to the present. "The Prophet presented plenty of theories on the matter, but I've long known they are more concerned with selling papers than providing accurate information."
"It was the war," he said simply. "It changed us both." She nodded in understanding.
"I believe it changed us all, in one way or another." She wore as serious an expression as Harry had ever seen from her. He guessed she was remembering the drastic changes the war had brought about on her own family; not only Lucius' imprisonment, but Draco's maturation during the most trying of times.
"We're still close friends. Ginny and I, I mean. We just weren't meant to be any more than that. Not after everything that happened."
"I see." Still she narrowed her eyebrows in thought as she looked at him. "That doesn't explain why you're here alone, however. The Prophet was quick to throw the news of your breakup onto the front page as soon as they got word, and that was several months ago. A handsome young war hero like yourself should have buxom young witches tripping over themselves to try and accompany you to a function such as this." It was only thanks to his extensive auror training about schooling his emotions in the heat of the moment that he was able to keep himself from blushing when she called him handsome. He heard such things regularly these days, but not from a witch he was nursing an impossible attraction to.
"I do," he admitted. "Just not the ones I want." That was a dangerous statement to make given the circumstances, but thankfully Narcissa didn't appear to have caught on. She smiled and patted his shoulder in what was meant to be a comforting gesture, but had the opposite effect thanks to his embarrassing crush.
"You're quite the catch, Harry. Whoever she is, she'll see that sooner or later if she hasn't already." If only that were true, he thought to himself. "But in the meantime, I hope you won't be too terribly disappointed if I ask you to keep me company until this tiresome night is over."
"I can think of no better way to spend the evening," he said, meaning every word.
Present day
As Harry and Narcissa finished their retelling of that first night, Draco set his beer down. He was already on his second of the night, it was over half gone, and he showed no signs of slowing. If he kept going at this rate he was going to pass out at the table before their tale was finished. Perhaps that was his intention.
"I knew I should've begged off that night," he muttered. "If I'd been there you wouldn't have nailed my mother."
"He did no such thing," Narcissa said. "Harry was a perfect gentleman, and nothing happened that night. Even when we did eventually make love, it was me who initiated it." Draco looked at his mother in horror.
"If nothing happened that night, how did you two end up...together?" he asked. He'd buried his head in his hands so his voice was somewhat muffled, but not so much that they couldn't hear him.
"Nothing happened in a physical sense, but we had a wonderful evening from that point on," she said with a smile that Harry couldn't help returning. "It had been years since I'd enjoyed myself so much. Lucius wasn't exactly a pleasant companion."
"Yes, yes, we both know that Lucius was an arse." Draco waved his hand dismissively as if his father wasn't even worth discussing. "But why did you have to seek out the company of Potter, of all people?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked. "I get that it's weird to see your mum out on a date, but what's wrong with it being me?"
"She's older than your mum!" Draco was now glaring at him with the same sort of contempt he had during their years at Hogwarts. "It's disgusting!" Harry felt his anger begin to rise. Not only was the ferret acting like the little shit he'd been at Hogwarts, he was getting under Harry's skin just like he had back then.
"Trust me, nothing about your mum is disgusting." Draco looked as if he wanted to vomit at that innuendo, which made Harry smirk.
"That's quite enough out of both of you," Narcissa chided. "Draco, you can either shut up and let me continue the story, or you can leave and allow me to try and salvage what remains of this night out with my lover." Draco glowered at the word 'lover', but nodded reluctantly all the same. "Harry, while Lucius may be vile, he's the only man I'd been with in Draco's lifetime until you came along. My son is just upset and in shock, and it is causing him to behave quite childishly. Please try to be lenient towards him tonight."
His smugness at successfully irritating Draco melted away as his lover made her request. He could never deny her anything, and they both knew it. He nodded in agreement, and she favored him with a dazzling smile that had his stomach doing flips.
"Excellent," she continued in a much more pleasant tone. "Now that you boys have settled down, let's move on to my first official date with Harry."
Four months earlier
Harry could scarcely believe this was happening. He was actually going on a date with Narcissa Malfoy!
That otherwise forgettable social function had taken a dramatic turn for the better once Narcissa had approached him. They'd had a great time in each other's company for the rest of the night, but it hadn't stopped there. They'd been exchanging owls regularly for the past month, and incredibly, Narcissa had written him earlier in the week to ask him to dinner! Ron and Hermione had been visiting when the owl arrived, and were most curious about what would cause him to smile as brightly as they'd ever seen (Hermione's words.) He'd been able to evade their inquiries, and now here he was, being led through Narcissa's lavish home by her house elf, Tansy (who thankfully seemed much happier than Dobby, likely because she didn't have to serve Lucius.)
Narcissa had sold the old Malfoy manor after Lucius was sent off to Azkaban, and bought a new, smaller home just for herself, as Draco had gotten his own flat soon after the war. Harry was pleased to not have to return to her previous home after the traumatic experience he'd had the one and only time he'd ever been there. Her new place was smaller, but still gave off a sense of sophistication while simultaneously feeling more welcoming than her previous home. As Tansy led him through the house, he paused several times to admire the various paintings that adorned the walls.
"That painting is a favorite of mine. I had it specially commissioned as a present for myself the day Lucius was sent to Azkaban."
He turned towards the familiar feminine voice, and the paintings were promptly forgotten when he saw Narcissa. She always looked stunning, but tonight she put even the finest works of art to shame. Her strapless black dress accentuated her hourglass figure wonderfully without crossing over into indecency. Even though she'd looked fantastic at last month's function, she had clearly put a good deal more effort into her appearance tonight. That knowledge gave him a thrill, but also did nothing to calm his nerves.
"This is a new dress. I had it custom-made specifically for tonight." She was smiling knowingly at him. She knew he couldn't take his eyes off of her; knew it, and reveled in it.
"It looks amazing. You look amazing." He made no attempt to disguise his awe. It would have been pointless to try.
"Thank you. I'm glad that you think so," she said, sounding very pleased indeed. "You're looking rather dashing yourself." He had made quite an effort to look good for her, but despite wearing his finest shirt and brand new trousers he knew that she put him to shame. He'd be the envy of every bloke that saw them tonight. They'd all look at her and wonder how the hell he got so lucky. He wouldn't blame them either, because he was wondering the same thing himself.
"Ready?" He held his arm out, and she hooked her own around it with a delighted smile.
"Indeed. Lead the way, Mister Potter."
Present day
"Wait a minute," Draco said as he set down his glass of water. His drinking had not slowed until their waitress finally informed him that he would not be served any more alcohol, much to his chagrin. "You went out in public four months ago, and obviously have kept doing so, so how in the name of Merlin's arsehole has this never gotten out? Potter shopping for trousers is front page news in the bloody Prophet!"
"Unlike your father, you have a brain. Use it, Draco." Narcissa tsked at her son and shook her head. "We wanted to keep this to ourselves for as long as possible. As you said, any hint of our relationship would be huge news in the wizarding world. So we've avoided the wizarding world and confined all of our dates to muggle establishments such as this one."
"That was clever," Draco muttered begrudgingly. "I guess you had it all figured out, didn't you? Could've kept it secret from everyone as long as you wanted. If I hadn't followed you tonight, would you have even told me?"
"Of course we would have, eventually," she said. "I expected you to react poorly, which is exactly what you've done tonight. With that in mind, I felt it was best if we waited to tell you until we were both sure that this relationship was going to last."
"And is it? Going to last?" Draco looked meaningfully at Harry, as if daring him to say he was going to keep seeing his mother now that he'd caught them. Harry met the look levelly.
"Absolutely." There was not a trace of hesitation or doubt in Harry's confident statement, just as there was no hesitation or doubt within him. He was in this for keeps, and he knew Narcissa felt the same way. It seemed that Harry's blunt answer had broken whatever lingering hopes Draco may have had about being able to put the revelations of this night behind him.
"This can't be happening," he muttered, seemingly to himself. "My mother and my partner..."
"It is happening, Draco," his mother said firmly. "Harry and I are in love." Draco's eyes squeezed shut and he sucked in a breath as if he'd just been punched in the gut.
"Love?" he said with a moan. "You're in love?"
"Yes," Narcissa said. "Very much so." She slipped her hand in Harry's with a smile, and he raised their clasped hands to give hers a kiss.
"How sickening," Draco complained. "I don't like this. I don't like it at all." Narcissa opened her mouth to reply, but he talked right over her. "I'm sorry, mother, but I don't. It's all just too...weird."
"I'm not asking you to be thrilled about this, Draco. I understand that this is going to be hard for you to accept, which is why I put off telling you about us for so long." She dropped Harry's hand so she could lean over the table and look at her son more closely. "At the moment, all I'm asking is that you not make this any harder than it needs to be."
The Malfoys silently stared across the table at each other. Harry's eyes darted back and forth between them, hoping one of them would speak or at least do something to break this tense atmosphere. As much as he'd like to start talking about quidditch or some other equally light topic, he knew that this moment wasn't about him. Draco frowned unhappily at his mother, who looked patiently back at him. Finally, he sighed, slumped in his seat and broke eye contact to stare off into the distance at nothing in particular.
"Potter makes you happy?" The question was mumbled, but neither Harry or Narcissa had any trouble hearing it clearly considering the complete silence that had engulfed the table.
"Yes. I'm happier then I've ever been in my life." The words were not a surprise to Harry. He and Narcissa knew what they had and how they felt about each other. That didn't stop the swell of pride he always felt whenever she told him how much he meant to her. It was even better when she showed him, but that obviously wasn't going to happen here. Not unless she wanted to give Draco a heart attack.
"I suppose that's all that really matters," Draco said quietly. Harry knew the words had been reluctantly given, knew that Draco was nowhere close to having accepted this relationship between his mother and his auror partner. Narcissa obviously knew it as well, but she still beamed at her son appreciatively for at least making the effort.
"Thank you, Draco," she said. Harry didn't need to look at his lover to know how relieved she was. Draco's reaction had been her only real worry about going public with their relationship. She wasn't overly concerned with the opinions of the wizarding world at large, but her son was another matter entirely.
"You've given me unconditional support all of my life, even when I was stupid enough to follow in Lucius' footsteps." He frowned at his own stupidity and rubbed his arm, right where the Dark Mark would still have been if he hadn't paid an exorbitant sum of gold to have it removed from his flesh. "What kind of son would I be if I didn't do the same for you?" Her smile grew wider still, and he gave her a smile of his own. It was tight-lipped and awkward, but that didn't make it any less genuine. Harry felt himself smiling slightly as well. He knew how much this eventual confrontation had weighed on Narcissa, and it had gone about as well as she could have realistically hoped for.
The smile was nowhere to be seen once Draco directed his attention away from his mother and to Harry instead. The blond stared at his former schoolboy rival turned auror partner, giving Harry the feeling that he was taking his measure and finding him lacking. With the close bond that mother and son shared, Harry doubted Draco would consider anyone worthy of her.
"You know what kind of man Lucius was," Draco said at last. "He was a piece of filth and a poor excuse for a father." Harry just nodded, knowing all about Draco's distaste towards his sire. It hadn't taken long into their auror training for him to learn that Draco refused to even acknowledge the man as his father, referring to him only as Lucius. Their mutual hatred of the man had actually been one of the things that helped them get past the initial awkwardness of being forced to work together in training after years of antagonizing each other.
"He wasn't just a lousy father," Draco continued. "He was just as big a failure as a husband. Even as a child, I knew that my parents only tolerated each other for my sake. When I was stupid enough to revere him I did my best to ignore it and pretend it was no one's fault. Now I can look back and see just how unhappy my mother was for all those years thanks to that bastard."
Again, this wasn't news to Harry. He hadn't thought it was possible, but his opinion of Lucius Malfoy actually plummeted even further after some of the stories Narcissa had told him. He assumed Draco was going somewhere with this though, so he stayed quiet and let him speak.
"She deserves to be happy, Potter. If you're the man that can do it, very well. But I'm not a kid who's powerless to help her anymore, so if you hurt her you'll have to answer to me."
"Fair enough," Harry said evenly. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, so if I hurt her I'll deserve whatever you can throw at me." Narcissa leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek, and Harry didn't miss the momentary flash of irritation that crossed Draco's face at the gesture. This was obviously still a work in progress.
"So long as you understand how lucky you are," Draco said with a hint of his old Malfoy smugness. He extended his hand across the table to Harry, who reached out and shook it firmly. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Narcissa smiling radiantly as she watched her son and her lover reach this tentative detente.
"Goodbye, mother." Draco pushed his chair back and stood up, and Narcissa rose as well. She gave him a motherly embrace and whispered something in his ear. It was too quiet for Harry to hear, but whatever she'd said made her son smile slightly as he pulled back to look at her.
"I'll send you an owl tomorrow," he said aloud. Then he looked at Harry one final time. "See you in the office on Monday...Harry." That was the first time all night he hadn't called him Potter. It wasn't exactly acceptance, but he'd take what he could get at the moment.
"Yeah, take care, Draco." Draco gave him a short nod of acknowledgement, then turned and walked out the same door he'd burst in through earlier in the evening. All the tension left with him. Harry heaved a sigh of relief, and Narcissa smiled as if she shared the sentiment.
"You know what? That could have gone much worse," he commented.
"Yes, it most certainly could have. Thank Merlin that Draco has matured and put his father's influence well behind him, otherwise I don't want to think about what he might have said or done." Spending a moment to imagine an adult Draco who still idolized and took after his father had Harry grimacing in disgust.
"Well, we don't have to worry about that," he said, wanting to put that thought well behind them both. "But I don't want to spend the whole night talking about Draco. Did you still want to order some dessert?"
"Hmm." Narcissa paused and tapped one perfectly groomed finger against her chin as she considered this. "As wonderful as all the desserts here are, Draco's little visit took up quite a bit of our time. I think I'd rather skip the dessert and spend the rest of the night making love to you in your bed. And in your shower, on the floor, against the wall, and on the dining table. Unless you really want that dessert, Harry?"
He'd never asked for the bill faster in his life.