The man who had everything

by slowroad

It is 6 years after the war and Harry is the toast of the wizarding world. But he finds himself trapped in a life that he does not want. He goes to a Muggle pub one evening and he runs into Draco, who was stripped of his magic and thrown out of the wizarding world. Harry finds himself going back to that pub day after day just to watch his former rival. Detailed summary inside.

Written for the H/D Glompfest 2013

Summary: It is six years after the war and Harry is the toast of the wizarding world. He did everything that was expected of him and now he finds himself trapped in a life that he does not want. He is acutely unhappy and he goes to a Muggle pub one evening because he wants to get drunk and he runs into Draco, who was stripped of his magic and thrown out of the wizarding world six years ago. He's glad to see that Draco has survived in the Muggle world and very surprised to see how happy and content he seems. And before he knows it, Harry finds himself going back to that pub day after day just to watch his former rival.

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.

Warning(s): Ginny and Weasley bashing. I don't usually do this, but it was required for the prompt. So I went with it.

...

Harry Potter was an unhappy man. No one would've believed it if he'd told them. How could it be? Harry Potter was the saviour, the darling of the wizarding world. He was young. At twenty-four, he had achieved more than most people did in an entire life-time. He was a very successful Auror. He was rich...the combined fortunes of the Potters and the Blacks added up to a sum that would last several generations. He was handsome and he was engaged to be married to his childhood sweetheart. He was, as the 'Prophet' insisted on proclaiming, the man who had everything.

Sure doesn't feel like it, Harry thought as he stormed away after yet another fight with Ginny. Their relationship had been deteriorating rapidly of late and he was getting tired of the daily arguments. In fact, the only time he seemed to have any peace was when she was away on tour. 'What does that say about our relationship?' he wondered as he stomped down the street glaring at everything and everyone in his path as he pondered the mess that his life had become in the six years following his defeat of Voldermort.

It's bloody ironic, he thought. Defeating Voldermort was supposed to be the end of his troubles. He had thought that he was free at last and that he would finally get to live the life he'd always wanted. So he'd got together with Ginny and gone into Auror training with Ron, believing that that was what he wanted. But a few years in and he'd realised that he'd been mistaken.

And now he was acutely miserable, stuck in a job that he thoroughly disliked and trapped in a relationship that simply wasn't working anymore. As if that wasn't enough, he was Harry Potter, "hero of the wizarding world." He was sick of all the attention, tired of being feted everywhere he went, exhausted by the relentless demands on his name and his time. He hated the way the Ministry used him as a poster boy for all their schemes. He had only been an Auror for five years now and already they were calling him the next Head Auror.

Every single case that he solved, no matter how silly or stupid got written about like it was some impossible achievement that only 'the saviour' was capable of, while the achievements of the rest of the Aurors were completely ignored. Harry hated it. He hated the tensions it caused in his workplace. He hated the way Ron would keep telling him that he didn't know how lucky he was. Harry found it hard to fathom that Ron was jealous of him, that he envied all the attention that Harry got and so patently did not want. He actually seemed to think that Harry was being ungrateful when he complained about it.

He doesn't get it. No one does. I don't want to be Harry Potter, the saviour and the celebrity. I just want to be me. A man like any other, but no one sees that, he thought angrily as he Apparated into Diagon Alley and went through the Leaky into Muggle London. He walked down several streets before he came to a pub that looked like something he might like. He walked up to the bar and ordered a pint.

He downed it in less than a minute and asked for another.

"Trying to get pissed are you mate?" the bartender said.

Harry nodded.

"What happened? Girlfriend leave you for another bloke?"

Harry laughed at the irony of it. "I wish she would, mate. I wish she would," he said.

It wasn't until the singing started that Harry realised that he had stumbled into a karaoke bar. He groaned, but he was in no mood to go find another pub, so he stayed where he was. He turned so he had his back to the room and the stage at the other end of it. He stared at the wall while his thoughts chased each other around his head and he kept drinking. He'd tuned out the rest of the room by now. He vaguely registered the fact that it was apparently retro night at the bar, but the singing itself was background noise.

He thought about his argument with Ginny. He couldn't even remember what it had been about. It was something insignificant which had blown up into something huge and as always it had come around to the one big dissatisfaction in Ginny's life...that even after five years of being together, Harry hadn't proposed to her. She was getting more and more insistent that they should get married. Harry had known for several weeks now that he did not want to marry Ginny. He was unhappy with her and he wanted out of the relationship. But so far, he hadn't been able to tell her that.

They had settled into a relationship a few months after the war had ended and they had somehow stayed together. Things had been okay in the beginning and it had been nice to have someone familiar to be with. But even back then, Ginny had not been able to understand him. She had never understood why he'd been so messed up after the war. She'd just wanted him to get over it and move on with his life or "their life together" as she always put it.

And now it seemed that she couldn't understand why he wanted to shun his celebrity. "Why would you want to be just another person?" she would say. She ignored everything that Harry had to say on the subject and insisted that he accept every invitation that came his way from the Ministry, that he lead the life of a public figure when he wanted nothing to do with any of that.

"You're going to be the Minister one day, Harry," she would say every now and then.

He'd told her many times that he had no intention of going into politics, but she just wouldn't listen. She had all these plans for their life together that didn't seem to factor in anything that Harry wanted. Every time they talked about marriage, Harry would bring up the fact that he wanted kids. Ginny never said an outright no, but she insisted that she had no intention of giving up her professional Quidditch career, so the kids would have to wait until she retired, which could easily be another ten years if not more.

Clearly, they wanted different things from life and maybe they didn't belong together anymore. Harry had thought this several times before, but tonight was the first time that he had actually said the words and Ginny hadn't taken take it well at all. She had been furious and they'd had another awful fight. In fact, that was all they did these days. Harry sometimes wondered how they had managed to stay together for five years. It's probably only because she's away so much of the time, he thought. As a professional Quidditch player, Ginny was away weeks at a time and Harry was always happier when she was away than when she was around. He did not want to marry Ginny, not at all and he was going to have to tell her that.

"Damn!" he said softly. He could imagine exactly how that conversation would go and the conversation with Ron and Hermione that would follow and then the uncomfortable Sunday lunch at the Weasleys where Molly would sit him down and tell him exactly why it was in his best interest to marry Ginny. He groaned and reached for another pint.

He was still mulling over this when his attention was drawn to the back of the room.

"Go on, Draco. It's your turn," someone was saying.

It was the name that caught his attention. He turned around. He saw that familiar flash of white-blonde hair and his heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be, he thought. But it was. Draco Malfoy was sitting among a group of muggles, looking like he belonged there. Harry had never been more surprised in his life. Malfoy was dressed like Muggle and he was sitting with four other people, obviously his friends. He looked comfortable, like he belonged there and then he laughed at something that one of his friends had said and he stood up and made his way to the stage amidst a round of enthusiastic applause. Clearly he was known and liked here.

He got up on stage, made his adjustments to the karaoke machine and took up the mike. Everyone in the room quieted down and then Malfoy started to sing.

"When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be

Let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be..." he sang.

Harry found himself staring open mouthed. It was a beautiful song, one of Harry's favourites, in fact and Malfoy sang it so very well. He had a beautiful voice, a rich tenor and unlike a lot of the others who had taken up the mike that night, Malfoy could sing. And it was obvious from the emotion that he brought to it, that the song meant a great deal to him. Strangely appropriate song for me to hear tonight, Harry thought.

"And when the broken hearted people

Living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be

For though they may be parted

There is still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer, let it be..." Malfoy continued and Harry found himself oddly comforted.

He listened entranced as the song went on. Malfoy had his eyes closed as he swayed lightly on stage, clearly lost in the music and oblivious to his surroundings. The song ended. Malfoy opened his eyes and then he smiled and Harry's breath caught and his heart twisted in a pleasantly painful manner. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone smile like that. Malfoy seemed so completely happy.

He couldn't help the wave of envy that washed over him. Malfoy looked content; he looked like he had everything he could possibly want. And yet...that couldn't be true, could it? Malfoy had been thrown out of the magical world after his trial. That had been his punishment...to live as a Muggle for the rest of his life. His wand had been taken away and destroyed. He was never to do any magic again. His father had been sentenced to death and his mother put under house arrest. Harry had challenged the verdict, but he hadn't prevailed and Malfoy had been forced to give up his magic and he'd been thrust into a world that he knew nothing about.

He hadn't heard anything about Malfoy after that. He'd read in the papers a couple of years ago that Narcissa Malfoy had died of a weak heart while still under house arrest. That piece of news had made him feel very guilty because he'd never thought that either Draco or Narcissa had deserved their sentences and he remembered hoping fervently that Malfoy had found his way, that he had found a place in the Muggle world...Apparently he has, he thought as he watched Malfoy get off the stage and rejoin his friends. Harry surreptitiously cast an amplifying charm in their direction so he could follow their conversation.

"Draco darling, that was wonderful," one of the women gushed.

"You always say that," Malfoy said with a smile.

"You should try your hand at a singing career, mate," one of the blokes said.

"You always say that too."

"I'm not just saying it you know," the man continued. "You really would be good."

"Perhaps. But the fact that I would be good at something does not necessarily mean that would enjoy doing it for a living," Malfoy said.

Those words struck Harry rather forcefully. He filed them away to mull over later as the other bloke spoke up again.

"You're wasted selling books," he said with a sad shake of his head, like this was fact that he had pointed out many times before.

Harry's eyes widened as he took in this rather curious piece of information.

"No I'm not. I love what I do. I know it's hard for you to understand, Ian, but I love books. I love reading them, I enjoy working with them. And I love my bookstore. I wouldn't give it up for the world. Not after I worked so hard to buy it."

Ian sighed. "That's exactly my point. You've worked so hard all these years and now that you've bought the store you're only working harder. You're young and talented. Why do you want to keep hiding yourself behind a pile of books?"

"Because I like it there. I know I'll never be rich, but I have enough. I have what I need and I'm happy. So stop worrying about me, will you?

The bloke that Malfoy had addressed as Ian frowned but he didn't say anything.

Harry leaned against the bar and thought about what he'd just heard. Malfoy had lost everything after the war. He'd had everything taken away from him and he'd been tossed into the muggle world and left to fend for himself. Everyone had expected him to fail spectacularly and come crawling back. But he hadn't. He had somehow found his feet and built a life for himself...a good life, it seemed.

Harry smiled. He was strangely glad to see Malfoy like this. He had an urge to go over and talk to him, but he decided against it. This was not the right time. He had a few things to take care of first. If Malfoy could face the near impossible odds stacked against him and come out on top, I have no excuse to go on living a life that I do not want and feeling trapped and miserable all the time, he thought as he continued to sit in the shadows and watch Malfoy and his friends.

Their conversation continued. Harry watched and listened a little while longer and then he got up, paid for his drinks and left quietly. He hadn't got pissed as planned, but he no longer wanted to. Seeing Malfoy had given him the push he'd needed to fix his life. So he got back to the Leaky, went through to Diagon Alley and Apparated home, hoping that Ginny had been angry enough at him to go crying to Hermione. The house was empty. Harry sighed in relief and then he went about changing the wards and warding the Floo. He didn't want anyone to be able to come through for the next several hours. He needed to think.

…

Harry was woken up by the insistent pounding on his front door. He looked blearily about him as he felt around for his glasses. He put them on, grabbed his wand and cast a tempus. It was past eleven in the morning. He groaned as the pounding continued. He was in no mood to see anyone and whoever it was would just have to figure that out and go away. He cast a silencing charm around himself and went back to sleep.

He'd only got to bed in the early hours of the morning after having spent several hours of the night pacing up and down his living room and thinking. He'd thought about his life and everything that he disliked about it. He'd thought about everything that he would have to do to change his life. He'd thought about the consequences that would follow. He knew how alone he might end up being if he actually followed through and he'd nearly lost his resolve.

But then he'd seen Malfoy in his head, the way he'd looked, standing up on that stage in a karaoke bar and smiling as if he was the happiest man in the world, and his resolve came back. He'd sat down then and written a whole bunch of letters. It was morning by the time he was done. He'd sent those letters off with his owl and he'd gone to bed feeling lighter and happier than ever he had before.

...

It was nearly two 'o' clock when Harry woke up again. He undid the silencing charm and found that everything was quiet. He stretched, feeling too lazy to get out of bed despite the fact that he was ravenously hungry. It was at times like these that he really appreciated the fact that he had a house-elf. Hermione harangued him about it regularly, but Harry didn't see anything wrong with hiring a house-elf who wanted to work, particularly when he paid the creature very well. Harry hadn't wanted to bind Dippy to himself, but she had insisted, saying that it would be an insult to her if he didn't.

"Dippy!" he called.

She appeared with a crack. "Is Master wanting lunch?" she said.

"Yes. But I'd like some coffee first."

"Yes, Master. Miss Ginny was here this morning but Dippy didn't let her in because Master changed the wards," she said, looking uncertainly at him.

"It's okay, Dippy. You did the right thing," he said as he dragged himself out of bed.

He found a letter from the Minister and another from the Head Auror waiting for him. He smiled as he imagined their reaction to the resignation letter that he had sent in that morning. He opened the letters and found the response to be every bit as indignant and disbelieving as he had expected it to be. They demanded an explanation. I'm bloody well not going to give them one, he thought grumpily as he tossed the letters aside and went into the bathroom. He'd said in his letter that he wanted to quit because he did not want to be an Auror anymore. To his mind, that was explanation enough.

He took a long, hot shower which eased his aching muscles; he had a full meal and nearly a whole pot of coffee. He knew that there was a huge confrontation coming and he wanted to be washed, bathed and fed before he faced the combined wrath of the Weasleys. He took his time getting dressed and then he decided to quit stalling. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and Apparated to the Burrow.

The confrontation began the moment he walked in the door. Ginny was furious and clearly itching for a fight.

"How can you possibly end our relationship just like that?! What do you mean there is nothing left between us? We've been together for five years. Were you just stringing me along? Did you ever have any intentions of marrying me?" she said and so began a harangue which went on for nearly an hour before Harry was allowed to get a word in. And even then, Ginny refused to listen to anything he had to say. It didn't seem matter to her that he didn't love her anymore. What mattered was that he was refusing to marry her. Harry couldn't believe how stupid she was being. What made the entire experience even more painful was the fact the rest of the Weasleys stood behind her all this time, glaring at him and nodding approvingly at her every now and then.

It dawned on Harry at that moment that they all felt entitled somehow. The believed that he owed them something. For what? For being nice to him, for giving him a taste of family? He would always be grateful to them for that, but he was not about to marry Ginny just because he knew that he would lose her family if he didn't. It was hardly his family if no one bothered to think about his side of things. And the way Ginny dug into him, made it obvious that this is what she would be like if she was thwarted. So if he did marry her he was ether looking forward to a life time of appeasing her or dealing with her treating him like this...

That realisation made it easier for him to stand his ground. He left the Burrow a few hours later feeling drained, exhausted and miserable, but still a free man. Ginny's threats were ringing in his ears as he walked away. "You will regret this, Harry. Wait till everyone hears about this. All your friends will turn away from you and the Wizarding world will turn on you when they hear about the way you've used me for five years. After everything my family has done for you..." and so on.

Harry felt sick to the stomach. That confrontation had been one of the worst experiences of his life. He knew very well that Ginny would not hesitate to carry out her threats, but he was not about to back down.

...

It was past nine in the evening. Harry had only been back home for an hour when he felt the wards shift. It was Ron and Hermione. He'd spent the past hour going through more mail from the Ministry, questioning his decision to quit his job and coming right after his confrontation with Ginny, it had only served to irritate him more and now Ron and Hermione were here to try to talk some sense into him, no doubt. Well, he didn't want to talk to them. Not after the way they had behaved during his "conversation" with Ginny.

Ron was certainly justified in feeling bad for his sister, but what bothered Harry was the fact that Ron had not bothered to think that if Harry was breaking up with Ginny, he had to have a very good reason to do it. They had been friends since they were eleven; they had trusted each other with their lives. Harry had expected at very least, that Ron would ask him why he was doing this and listen to his side of the story.

He hadn't tossed Ginny aside because he was tired of her. He had ended the relationship because he and Ginny were not right for each other. They weren't making each other happy anymore and they very clearly wanted different things from life. So if they did get married, they would only make each other miserable. Ginny knew that too, and yet she seemed determined to hold on to him. Harry couldn't help but wonder if that was because he was Harry Potter. Did Ginny care about him or did she care about being Mrs Harry Potter?

Hermione had drawn him aside and told him that he was being foolish and short-sighted. He had tried to explain himself to her and though she had listened, she hadn't understood. And now she was here to lecture him. Harry had absolutely no intention of sticking around and subjecting himself to that. So he quickly gathered his things and Apparated out of his house and before he knew it, he was sitting on a bar stool in the Karaoke bar that he had been to the previous night, listening to Malfoy sing as he slowly drank his worries away.

...

It soon became a habit to go that pub every day and drink alone while he watched and listened to Malfoy and his friends. Harry soon learned that Malfoy owned a second-hand bookstore. He was fond of football, he played the violin, he had a cat, a tabby called Freckles and he was fond of cooking. He lived in a small apartment above his bookstore which was on Charing Cross road. He was surprised by every new thing that he learned about Malfoy. Most of all, he couldn't believe how normal his former rival seemed. He was just a regular bloke. And he always seemed so content.

It was obvious that his friends loved him. Particularly the two women, who seemed to treat him like a beloved younger brother more than anything else. He'd learned that their names were Emma and Audrey. Emma was married to Ian, who had once been in a band and dreamed of being a musician, but had ended up becoming a lawyer instead. Emma was a prep school teacher and Audrey it seemed, was an artist. The other bloke was called Jeff and he was only around once it in a while.

A week went by in this fashion while Harry's life went steadily to hell. There were more missives from the Ministry and a couple of genuinely uncomfortable meetings with the Minister and the Head Auror, both of whom seemed to have assumed that all they had to do was talk to him and he would change his mind. Ginny held off on her threat of going to the papers, but that was probably only because Ron, Hermione and Molly, all paid Harry multiple visits and tried to get him to change his mind. He didn't.

And then he woke up one morning to find a newspaper article stating, HAS THE SAVIOUR FINALLY GONE AROUND THE BEND? It was a long article documenting Harry's break up with Ginny and his decision to quit the Aurors, with an interview with Ginny as well as the Head Auror, both of whom seemed strongly of the opinion that Harry did not know what was good for him. All his friends sent him owls, they came to see him and everybody had the same thing to say. They told him that he was acting strange. He had his whole life set up perfectly. Why was he throwing it all away?

And then there were the Howlers from people Harry did not know, who nonetheless seemed to think that they had the right to have an opinion about his life and his choices.

Harry's dissatisfaction with his work and his relationship with Ginny had been brewing for a long time. But he hadn't done anything about it because he had somehow managed to convince himself that it was his duty to be an Auror, his duty to marry Ginny and he had compromised and tried to accept his situation, but one day it had got to be too much and he finally taken a stand and said that his happiness mattered a lot more to him than anybody's expectations. And no one, it seemed, was ready to accept that.

...

It was a couple of weeks after he'd broken up with Ginny. He had come to the Karaoke bar as usual and stayed until Malfoy and his friends had left. Then he ordered one last pint as was his habit and he proceeded to sip it slowly. He was alone at the bar as he usually was at this late hour. So he was surprised when he heard someone take the seat next to him. He turned his head out of curiosity and he found himself looking right into a pair of silver-grey eyes. Malfoy was looking at him with a very speculative expression on his face.

Harry started. "What are you doing here?" he said.

"Funny, I thought that was my line."

"Where are your friends?"

"They left. I told them I'd spotted an old friend at the bar and then I came back. What are you doing here?"

"Drinking."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Like that wasn't obvious. What I meant is what you're doing at this particular bar and why you keep coming back night after night? And while you're answering that question, you might also consider telling me why you keep watching me and trying to listen to my conversation with my friends."

Harry coloured a little. "I didn't think you'd noticed," he said.

"I may not be allowed to do magic anymore, Potter, but I am still a wizard and I can sense magic around me. Did you think your little amplification spell went unnoticed?"

"Yeah. Actually I did," Harry admitted sheepishly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was watching you too, wondering what you were up to."

"What do you think I've been up to?"

"At first I thought you were here to spy on me. But then I realised that you were just here to drink...and you seemed to be thinking hard, like you were trying to work through your problems or something. And some nights, it seemed as if you were just here to get pissed. While it is obvious why you choose to come to a Muggle bar, I don't understand why you keep coming back here. It can't be because of me, can it?"

"Strange as it sounds, I really do come back here because of you. I like to hear you sing."

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "That is officially, the most unexpected thing that I've ever heard."

"Your singing is the most unexpected thing I've ever heard."

"Hmmm...This has to be the most surreal conversation of my life," Malfoy said.

"Likewise. Maybe we should drink to that."

"Haven't you had enough?"

"One can never have enough to drink, Malfoy."

"That is what every drunk says."

"Then maybe I'm a drunk."

"No you're not. You're just depressed, though I can't think why. You're Harry Potter, the saviour, the hero. What on earth could be wrong with your life?"

"It's amazing how everyone seems to agree on that." Harry said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his hands over his face. He was so tired.

"What's wrong, Potter?"

"Everything."

"Would you quit being so bloody dramatic and just tell me what's wrong?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Call it morbid curiosity if you want. Honestly, you've spent the last couple of weeks eavesdropping on my conversations with my friends. You've learnt a lot about me while I know nothing about you. It's not fair."

"You're one to talk about fair," Harry said morosely.

"Oh! Get over yourself. Whatever it is you're going through, it can't be that bad."

Harry sighed. "You're right. It's not. It's just that I am so tired of it all," he said and then he proceeded to tell Malfoy everything that had happened lately.

He had no idea why he was telling Malfoy all this. It could have been the six pints of beer sloshing about inside him and making him stupid or it could have been the fact that he just needed to talk to someone who wouldn't tell him that his future was with Ginny. Malfoy listened in silence. His eyebrows went up a couple of times, but he didn't say anything until Harry finished.

"I must admit that I'm a bit surprised, Potter. I assumed that you wanted to be an Auror, chase after the bad guys and be a hero all the time."

"I know it's hard for you to believe, Malfoy, but never wanted to be a hero and I never wanted all the attention. I did want to catch the bad guys though. It's the one thing I'm good at."

"So why quit?"

"Because being an Auror is more about politics and following protocol and filling out paperwork than catching the bad guys. Besides, I'm tired of constantly putting myself in danger. It was okay in the beginning, but I couldn't stand the thought of doing it for the rest of my life..."

They continued to talk in this fashion until it was time for the bar to close. They walked out together, still talking when Harry realised that Malfoy had not said a single word about his breakup with Ginny. It was a courtesy that he genuinely appreciated.

"How are you going to get home?" he asked. They'd been walking for a good ten minutes now.

"It's only a couple of miles, so I usually walk. Though I've never been out this late before," Malfoy said.

"Can I walk you home?"

"I'm not a girl, Potter."

"Didn't say you were. It's just that it's late and this place can be a bit dangerous and you don't have a wand. I would just feel more comfortable if I walked you home."

"I would like to protest, but I'm afraid you're right," Malfoy said with a slight shudder.

"You've been mugged before."

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I used to be an Auror, remember. I've been trained to notice things. So...when was this?"

"About three or four months after I came to live here. My boss had kept me late one night, because we had a big shipment of books that had to be sorted and it was past eleven when I left, which isn't all that late, but anyway...I was walking down to my apartment and suddenly there were these four guys who came up from behind me. They grabbed me and pinned me against the wall and they took my watch and my wallet. They looked for a mobile phone and cursed me for being too poor to carry one. Then they banged my head against the wall a couple of times and...left."

"That sounds awful! What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just lay there, feeling miserable. I was barely conscious when Ian found me and took me to the hospital. Luckily, nothing was broken. I just needed lots of stitches and bit of rest."

"That's how you met Ian."

"Yeah."

They walked the rest of the way in an oddly companionable silence. They stood outside the steps to Malfoy's apartment and looked at each other a bit awkwardly.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Malfoy said.

"You will."

"Goodnight, Harry."

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was very pleasant to go from Potter to Harry, but he wanted to know why Malfoy had seen fit to make the switch.

Malfoy shrugged. "I don't want to do the Potter-Malfoy thing anymore. It is too reminiscent of school," he said.

"I don't want to do it either. Goodnight, Draco. I'll see you tomorrow," he said and then he left.

...

Harry went looking for an apartment in Muggle London the very next day. He was still not on speaking terms with Ginny. Ron and Hermione were annoyed with him, while Molly was very hurt. Harry thought it would be good for all them if he went away for a bit. He didn't know how long he was going to stay away but he didn't want to think about that just yet. He went to the pub again that night and he was surprised when Draco waved him over and introduced him to his friends who turned out to be every bit as friendly as they had seemed from a distance. Harry found it all a bit surreal, but he had a good time.

He walked Draco home again that night and by the end of the week, this became their routine. Harry would go to the pub every day. He began to get to know Draco's friends a little better and soon they became his friends as well. He would walk Draco home every night and that was when they would talk and share bits and pieces of each other's lives...and somewhere along the way, they slipped into a friendship without even knowing it.

...

Harry hadn't told any of his friends where he was going. He'd told Hermione that he was going to go away for a while because he needed some time away. But despite all her prodding, he hadn't told her where he was going, just that he would be back when he was ready. For the first time in his life, Harry had nothing to do and nowhere to go. It was liberating to wake up every morning with no idea of what he was going to do that day. He spent a few days shopping and decorating his little apartment the way he wanted. He started cooking again.

He spent whole days just sprawled on his couch, reading. But no matter what he did or didn't do all day, he made sure to go to the pub every evening just to see Draco. After a while, he began to spend his mornings walking around London and discovering it for himself. He realised only now how little he knew about the city that he'd been living in for the last six years. He went to the museums and the art galleries and he learnt something new every day. For the time in his life, he felt free. He began to drink less and less; a fact that he didn't notice until Draco pointed it out.

...

And then one morning about a couple of months after Harry had moved into the Muggle world, he found himself standing outside Draco's bookstore. He had been out on his walk as usual and it had started raining. Harry had an umbrella of course and he had been caught out in the rain before, but never when he was close enough to Draco's bookstore to have a handy excuse to go in. It bothered him a little that Draco had so far not invited him either to his home or to his bookstore. Draco was always very friendly but he seemed a little cautious and wary and no matter how deep or personal their conversation got, it would begin and end on their nightly walks. Draco would stand on the street an extra ten minutes but he would not invite Harry up to his apartment. He talked constantly about his bookstore, but he never invited Harry to drop in and take a look.

Harry stood outside the bookstore and hesitated. He reached for the door and pulled back and wondered why he was so nervous. He'd been meeting Draco every day for the last two months. They were friends. So it was only natural that he would drop in at Draco's bookstore if he happened to be in the neighbourhood, wasn't it? Particularly when it was raining so hard. Harry reached for the handle and pushed the door open. The little bell above the door tinkled charmingly as he walked in. He looked around him and smiled. It was a lovely little store. It was small and crammed with books in these huge floor to ceiling shelves. The place had a wonderful vibe about it. It was cosy and old fashioned. But it was also very vibrant and alive.

"I'll be with you in a minute," Draco said. He was obviously somewhere at the back of the store.

"That's okay. I can wait," Harry replied.

Draco must have recognised his voice because he came out almost immediately. "Harry?" he said. He was every bit as surprised as he looked. He had somehow never expected to see Harry in his bookstore. "What are you doing here?"

"I got caught in the rain," Harry said as he got his wand out and quickly dried himself.

"Oh," Draco said. He was a bit disappointed. A part of him had hoped that Harry was actually here to see him and have a look around his store.

Harry heard that hint of disappointment in Draco's voice. It made him smile. "I figured the rain was a handy excuse to come in here," he said.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Why do you need an excuse to come here?"

"You've never invited me," Harry said with a shrug and a slight pout that Draco found surprisingly cute.

"I didn't think you'd be interested," he said and then he coloured. He knew how lame that sounded. He had discovered quite early in their friendship that Harry was an avid reader. So why wouldn't he be interested in a bookstore?

The truth was that Draco had fallen rather hard for Harry, but he couldn't ignore the fact that Harry was here only for a while and that someday, he would go back to the wizarding world. So he'd been trying hard not to get too involved with him, which was why he'd never invited Harry to his home or to the bookstore. But now that Harry was actually here, he couldn't deny how much he'd wanted this.

Draco shook himself out of his thoughts only to realise that he'd been staring at Harry and that Harry was smiling fondly at him. He blushed again and Harry felt his heart lurch at the sight. He'd noticed several times in the last couple of months that Draco was very attractive, but there was something about the sight of Draco blushing that was making it a bit difficult for him to breathe.

"Well, I am interested," Harry said and it was obvious that he wasn't talking only about the bookstore. "Care to show me around?"

"Of course."

Draco took Harry around the store. He was mostly silent, because his heart was thudding hard in his chest and making it difficult to think. He only began talking about his books when they got to the back of the store. This was where he kept all of his rare books. He was rather proud of them and he really wanted to share them with Harry, knowing that he was one of the few people who could appreciate the true value of those books.

Harry found the books fascinating, but he found Draco even more fascinating. There was a light in his eyes as he talked...a look of joy on his face that made him look so beautiful. Harry could almost not look away. He'd known for the past few weeks that he found Draco very attractive and now he was thoroughly enamoured by the sight of his animated face and his obvious enthusiasm as he waved his arms about, talking nonstop about his beloved books.

Draco noticed after a few minutes, that Harry was staring at him. He was puzzled by it at first and he pretended not to notice, but as the minutes went by and Harry kept his eyes fixed on his face, Draco couldn't ignore the fact that Harry's gaze was distinctly appreciative. That thought made Draco blush and forget what he was saying. There was an awkward silence for a couple of moments as Harry realised that he had been caught staring.

"Tea?" Draco said, suddenly glad that there was no one else in the store.

"Oh! Sure."

Draco led Harry into his office and busied himself with the kettle. Harry sat on one of the chairs and tired not to look at Draco, but he found his gaze wandering up and down the other man's body, wondering what it would be like to have Draco in his arms, to run his fingers through that beautiful blond hair and to kiss that delectable mouth. He felt a distinct stirring in his groin that made him blush hotly and turn away before he was caught staring again. He was still trying to calm himself when Draco joined him at the table with two steaming cups of tea and some biscuits.

"It's a lovely store," Harry said, as he accepted the tea.

"Thanks. I've been reorganising everything for months. It was a bit of a shambles before."

"How long has it been, since you bought it?"

"Eight months now."

"You've done a wonderful job with it."

"Thanks."

"Do you run this place alone? Don't you have an assistant or something?"

Draco smiled a bit wryly at that. "I do need an assistant, but I can't exactly afford one. Not right now, at least," he said.

Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he kept quiet and waited for Draco to elaborate.

"People don't buy a lot of books these days," Draco said. "What with ebooks and online bookstores. There are still a few people who like to buy second hand books, but the number is quite small. So I don't make a lot of money on this place. I can manage without an assistant most of the time, but there are times when I need to go out of town to buy books and I end up having to close the store then. I buy most of my new stock from libraries and they can only see me on weekends and that is when I do most of my business here, so I end up losing business every time I have to go out of town..."

Harry could feel the idea take shape in his head as he listened to Draco. He almost blurted it out but then he stopped himself, realising that if he talked about it, Draco would just say no and the longer they talked about the more Draco would be inclined to refuse. The only way to get him to agree would be to just not give him an option. So he gently steered the conversation back to books.

Draco had been surprised to discover that Harry was an avid reader. A lot of their conversations over the last couple of months had been about books, so it was easy to slip into conversation now, talking of their favourite books, comparing authors and sharing memories.

"What was the first book you read that you really enjoyed?" Draco asked Harry.

"Lord of the rings. It is such a wonderful piece of work. It kind of blew my mind."

"I remember the first time I read that book," Draco said. "I must have been fifteen. I spent a couple of weeks holed up in my bedroom, reading nonstop. And once I finished, I went back to the beginning and started over."

"You couldn't let middle earth go, huh?"

"No...I never wanted to let it go."

"I know the feeling."

...

Harry turned up at the store the next morning just as Draco was opening it up.

"What are you doing here?" Draco said.

"I hear you're in need of an assistant," Harry replied coolly.

Draco looked thoroughly puzzled. "And you're offering?" he said.

"Yes."

Draco didn't say anything for a moment as he unlocked the door and walked in. He went straight through to his office. Harry followed. Draco turned and smiled at him.

"That is really sweet of you, Harry, and I'd love to have you work with me. But...you're not going to stay for long are you? In fact, you're only here because you needed to get away from the wizarding world for a while. Soon you'll want to go back. And I will be back where I started. I need someone who will stay with me."

The last few words were said in a whisper almost and Harry knew that Draco wasn't only talking about Harry helping him out at the store. That thought gave him pause and made it a bit difficult to breathe as looked at Draco intently, noticing again, just how beautiful the man was. Harry had a sudden urge to run his fingers through that soft blond hair that hung loosely about Draco's face. He had an urge to caress that strong jaw with a hint of stubble on it. He wondered what it would be like to kiss those full lips which looked so soft and inviting...

"Harry?" Draco said a bit tentatively when he realised that Harry was staring at him again. He felt his face grow warm as he blushed under that intense scrutiny.

"Harry?" Draco said again.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and then he blushed a bright red when he realised that he'd been caught staring yet again.

"Sorry. I was a bit..." he trailed off

"Distracted?" Draco offered with a smirk.

"Yeah." Harry admitted sheepishly.

"Look, Harry, Merlin knows I'd love to have you here, but we both know that you're not going to stay..." Draco trailed off when he saw the look of surprise on Harry's face as he said those words. "You never even thought about that did you?" he said.

"No, actually."

"Idiot Gryffindor," Draco said affectionately as he raised his hand to Harry's face and caressed his cheek. He did it without thinking. He was about to pull his hand away, when Harry grabbed his wrist and drew Draco's hand to his mouth and kissed it lightly. Draco was too stunned to say anything as Harry pressed a few gentle kisses on his open palm.

"I didn't think about it, because going back doesn't seem all that important anymore," Harry said softly and then he moved so he was standing right in front of Draco, less than an inch away from him, in fact. Then he leaned forward and kissed Draco lightly on his lips.

He stepped back with the question plainly visible on his face. Draco's only desire at that moment was to wrap Harry in his arms and kiss him stupid. But he didn't. He held himself back.

"Are you sure?" he said softly.

Harry didn't reply. He put his arms around Draco and pulled him close and the he kissed him. It was not Draco's first kiss by any means, but it might very well have been, considering the way it made him feel. His knees turned to jelly and he practically melted against Harry as that the other man plundered his mouth, kissing him with the kind of passion that he'd never imagined Harry to be capable of. And to think that all this was for him...he moaned as Harry continued to suck Draco's tongue into his mouth. It was the most delicious feeling in the world. Harry had never imagined that a kiss could feel like this. All he knew that he never wanted this moment to end.

It did end, as all good things do, but they found their way back to each other several times that day, kissing every single time like their very lives depended on it. Harry ended up staying all day.

It was eight in the evening when Draco closed the shop. This was when they usually went to the pub, but tonight Draco had other plans. He invited Harry up to his apartment. They ended up kissing as soon as the door closed behind them. It was every bit as heady and wonderful as it had been the first time that they'd kissed that morning.

"Harry, what are we doing?" Draco said as he pulled away.

"What two people do when they like each other," Harry replied calmly. "And like I told you already, going back to the wizarding world doesn't seem all that important anymore."

"So you'll stay?"

"For as long as you'll have me."

"Well, in that case, you're not going anywhere," Draco said as he leaned forward and captured Harry's lips again.

...

One year later...

Harry woke up to the warm light of the morning sun filling the room. He opened his eyes lazily and smiled. He had been having a very good dream, a dream that involved Draco, a beach, water, sand and good deal of delicious lovemaking. He was lying with his arm around Draco, spooning him as his husband slept peacefully on. He ran his hand up and down Draco's chest and he kissed him lightly on the back of his neck. Draco stirred.

"Morning love," he said in a sleep roughened voice that Harry found incredibly arousing.

"Morning beautiful," Harry said.

Draco turned on his back so he could look at Harry. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too."

"Did we really get married yesterday?" Draco said as he lifted his left hand and glanced at his ring.

"Yes we did."

"Good. I was afraid I'd dreamed it all," Draco said as he caressed Harry's cheek.

"No. It's all very real, I'm afraid. You are now officially stuck with me," Harry said as he nuzzled against Draco's neck, ticking him and making him laugh.

"Mmmm...I like the sound of that," Draco said as he drew his husband into a kiss.

Harry sighed happily and gave in to that kiss as he thanked his stars once again for leading him to this man and this life. It was a life that he had never imagined for himself, but somehow, it was exactly what he wanted. And now, he really was the man who had everything.