MANCHESTER MEETING

Intro: Harry pointed at the cafe. "I was wondering if you had time to join us for a coffee."
Draco looked at his watch."Twenty minutes and it's lunch break."

Head Cannon goes off. A singed sign flutters out of the smoke saying: I Don't Own Harry Potter But I Do Play In The Forbidden Forest.

Manchester, England

Hermione's eyes went wide and she stared. She wondered if she was seeing what she thought she was seeing, blinked a couple times and stared some more. The cafe conversation faded into the background as the reality of the scene across the street worked its way into her consciousness far enough she could accept the craziness of it.

Ron was saying, "And then Shacklebolt said we'd better study the old cases or we were doomed to make the same stupid mistakes and get ourselves killed."

Harry chuffed and said, "So, he gave us a bunch more case studies with a look that said we'd better buckle down. Actually, it turned out to be interesting after we started discussing the process the Aurors we were reading about had to be going through. A lot like Hermione's insistence on making plans and following through."

He turned to Hermione and said, "See? We're learning from your example."

She was looking out the window without answering. Ron nudged her and asked,
"Hermione? You with us here?"

She didn't move and he nudged her again. "Hermione? You okay?"

Hermione muttered something and pointed out the window.

"What?" Ron asked and frowned, automatically reaching into his jacket to put his fingers on his wand.

"Ron," Harry said. "This is a Muggle restaurant. Kingsley will have us in irons if we do something in public."

Ron nodded, relaxed his arm a little and tried to follow Hermione's sight line.
"What is it, love? I don't see anything."

Hermione kept her eyes steady, looking across the street at a group of workmen.
"Look over there. Those men. Do you see what I see?"

Ron, Harry and Ginny followed Hermione's finger, frowning a little at the group of men working across the street, trying to suss out what she was talking about.

Then Ron saw the long, blond hair and the aquiline nose. "Merlin's smelly socks. I must be imagining things. If I wasn't seeing this I'd never believe it. What do you think Harry?"

Ginny cut in, "I'm seeing it but I'm not sure I believe it. That's Malfoy. He's wearing coveralls, a hat and those things on his ears, but the hair and the rest, it must be him. What would that sanctimonious git be doing looking like a Muggle? And is he really working on a cleaning gang? This is too rich. Maybe the Muggles arrested him and he's working off his sentence."
Harry said, "Sure looks like him."

"It must be him," Hermione said. "We know he's been out of sight for some time but thought he was holed up somewhere. He hasn't been seen with any Deatheaters, at least nothing has come through Legal and I'd know if something had."

Harry chuckled a little. "When I was talking to him before his dad's trial he said he was tired of being everyone else's puppet. He was going out on his own. This must be what he meant. Can't say I ever thought I'd see the day Draco would be working for a living as a Muggle."

Hermione gave a short laugh. "I'd like to know what he is up to. It must be something illegal or somehow to his advantage."

"Maybe we should ask," Harry said. "Offer a coffee or something, see if he wants to have a chat."

Ron guffawed. "I'd pay a good few galleons to see the look on his face when he sees you."

"I'll listen to what he has to say," Ginny said in a warning tone, "but if it's even slightly annoying, I'll transfigure him back into a ferret. And leave him that way."

"Hold that in reserve," Harry told her. "Keep on eating. I'll invite him to join us. I just have to hear the explanation for this."

With that he got up and strode out of the bistro, idled across the street and watched from a little ways away with the noise of the water pumping machine and the pressure washing sprayers making it impossible to hear much. The conversation Draco was having with a booted and slicker clad worker was drowned out but the hand motions Draco was making were clearly instructions. The man nodded and went back to work.

The high pressure water was scrubbing brown grime and green growth from the building, washing it onto the sidewalk to flow into the gutter and away. A minute of watching and he saw how effective it was, though a good, strong tergeo charm would be a lot faster. He smiled at the thought of Draco working at such a job and walked closer.

He was only a few paces away when Draco turned and saw him, stood still for a moment in wide-eyed surprise, started to reach in his jacket and stopped, then got an embarrassed grin. He walked to Harry and held out his hand.

He had to shout over the noise of the pump motor as he said, "Potter. This is rather unexpected."

Leaning in close Harry shouted back, "That's for sure. I was wondering if you had time to join us for a coffee over there." He pointed at the cafe.

Draco looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes and it's lunch break," he shouted.
"Sure. Be glad to."

"Twenty minutes, then," Harry shouted back. Draco gave a thumbs up sign so he turned and walked back, wondering the whole time if he should be worried about a curse in the back but very deliberately not turning to look over his shoulder. Ron was watching out.

Back at the table he said, "Be a bit. His lunch break is soon."

Fifteen minutes later the machine was turned off, the men working put their washing sprayers and hoses on the pump and sauntered off to a lorrie for their lunch.

Draco walked into the cafe and his eyes widened a little at the sight of the four just starting dessert with coffees in hand. Harry waved him over to a chair he'd placed at the end of the booth and nodded to a cup and a large piece of pie ala mode waiting on the table.

"Good to see you, Draco," Harry said as he shook his hand. "Ordered some pie but I can get some lunch for you if you'd prefer."

Draco gazed down at the faces looking at him, took a breath and said, "Thank you. Pie and coffee sounds wonderful. I hope I'm welcome to sit at your table."

Ron nodded, Ginny fought to keep a growl from coming out, Hermione gave a polite smile and glanced at the chair.

Harry said, "Please sit and relax. I promise, no bat bogeys."

"As long as I can walk out of here on two legs and no tail, I'd be happy," he said with a strained chuckle, glancing at Hermione, and sat on the offered chair.

"Have to say Draco," Harry said, "it was a bit of a surprise to see you with that work crew. What's up with that?"

Draco took a good sip of coffee and said, "It's only for a couple more weeks. Met the owner in a bar two years ago. He said one of his guys had quit so he was short handed and offered me the job. Next thing I know I'm renting a flat in town, wearing rubber boots and slickers and finding out I had aching muscles that I never even heard of."

He took a bite of pie while Ron asked, "So, why Manchester?"

"Getting my head back together," Draco said. "As you can imagine I was a wreck after ... after what happened. I had to dance to that madman's tune or my parents would have paid the price. Again and again." He got an anguished look on his face for a moment then covered up.

"Sorry about what I tried to do in the Room of Requirement. I didn't have any choice. I hope you can at least, well, all I can say in my defense - actually I can't defend myself at all. There's nothing I can say that isn't a self serving excuse for all that happened." He held his gaze steady with Harry's.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. "That's history now," Harry finally said.
"Most everyone has moved on from there. We've rounded up most Deatheaters so now we're all trying to make a new life for ourselves. Don't sweat what we were years ago. You don't have to with us. Plus, we both sort of owe each other."

Draco gazed at Harry then looked at Hermione and got a tiny nod. "Most generous of you to say, Harry," he said and returned the nod to Hermione. Ron was remaining polite while Ginny fought to keep from glaring.

"So, you want to know how I ended up running a cleaning crew," Draco said taking another bite. "After six months working for Derek, that's the owner, his wife was having a difficult pregnancy, his daughter had problems and spent a couple weeks in hospital before she could come home with them. I'd worked up to shift boss on one of his crews and said I'd help out all I could. So I learned about payroll and taxes and bidding and a lot of things I'd never imagined. But I worked hard and did the job, kept my crew and the others going during those four months. I did whatever was needed to keep my guys working and paid. You ever have to tear a pump apart in the middle of the street and make it work again? Without using your wand? Try it sometime. It'll be an enlightening experience. If I hadn't figured it out, my crew would have lost a day's pay so it was on me to get it done."

As Draco savored another mouthful of pie and ice cream, Harry asked, "You have been working as a muggle for two years? I don't get that."

"You see, I took the job pretty much on a personal dare. I needed to get my head back on straight." Draco took a long sip from his cup then continued. "Fire whiskey. It numbs the pain but doesn't solve anything. After seeing myself still drunk one morning in the mirror, I left for London but soon found another bottle there so it was off to here, in Manchester. I knew no one and no one knew me. Thought being unknown would help but I found myself in a pub once again and, luckily, that's when I met Derek. My life was crashing in a rubbish bin so I gave his offer a try and found a place for myself. With my crew I wasn't pureblood or rich and the few that saw my mark," he unconsciously twitched his left arm, "they didn't ask. Muggles are not lazy, I learned that right off. Like I said, I found aching muscles I never heard of."

A bit of pie, a sip of coffee and he went on. "The only thing these guys are concerned with on the job is working and earning a living. I found it refreshing. I fit myself into it, learned to work, learned to lead a team. I looked after my guys and when I helped run the company, I kept the other work crews on paying jobs. If we hadn't been able to keep working, some of those guys would have been on the dole and that idea offended their sense of worth. These guys honor work, they don't want a handout.
I've learned to respect that and along the way I earned a little self respect myself.

"The end of the month I'm leaving the company and returning," Draco said. "I'm not sure I got my head on straight enough yet but now I know I can live with myself and do some good. I've been seeing Astoria on weekends and we're getting pretty close so it's time for me to go back and try to make a life. Maybe even a family, if she'll have me."

He took the last bite of his pie and mopped up the dribbles of melted ice cream with a bit of crust. "You know, it's really the little things like pie and ice cream that's sticks with you. It's not who you are but how you can make things right for your people that's important. That's the only thing I'm looking at these days. Knowing you," he said, looking at all four people listening to him, "it's what you want too."

Harry cleared his throat and said, "I have to agree with you on that and I do believe that's the first time we've ever agreed on anything."

Draco smiled then laughed. "If we all had a drink we could toast making a difference in life together. I couldn't wish for anything better.

"Thanks so much for inviting me to your table," he said. "I'd like the chance to buy you dinner or whatever someday. I'd like that very much."

"That would be an interesting evening. Bring Astoria. We'd all like to meet someone that could tame the wild Draco Malfoy," Harry said with a grin.

"Yes. I rather like being tame, if it's with Astoria," he answered, grinning back. He had the softest look on his face as he drifted off in memory then sighed contentedly.

"Well, thanks again," Draco said. "In lieu of a toast I'd like to wish you all a satisfying life, one that sees you fulfilled in your wishes and makes you happy."

With that he slid his chair back, reached for his wallet but Harry shook his head.
"Thanks," Draco said. "I should be getting back to my crew. Lunch will be over in a few and I have to prep up for the afternoon. Thanks again and I do wish you every happiness."

He reached out and shook Harry's hand then turned to Ron who hesitated a moment then shook, smiling (with effort) at his old enemy. Hermione took his hand and gave him a warm smile. Ginny pursed her lips, looked at Harry then took the offered hand with a socially polite expression.

They watched as he left the cafe and walked across the street, saw him turn and give a wave, turn back to take a fueling line out of a lorrie and begin filling the pump's petrol engine.

Harry chuckled and said, "You know, the strangest thing just happened. I think I've been invited to dinner with Draco Malfoy and I'm rather looking forward to it."

Head cannon goes off. The fluttering sign says: Please Review.