1 .A Little Bit Late.
A/N: Okay, I know I really have no business starting another fict with the five million I have in progress, but I couldn't help it! Don't blame me, blame my old fan fiction journal for suddenly resurfacing, holding the first few lines of this chapter! On another note, what's up with Tom Felty's real girlfriend playing his future wife in DH part two. Jeez, not only does she get the real Felton, but my darling Draco too? Lucky girl...
OH! A/N Part Two: (If DH can do it, I can too, lol!) Chapter titles are from songs. This one is from a Tegan & Sara song.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own his world or anyone in it. Not even Draco Malfoy. Yeah, I know, I cry a little every time I have to admit that.
.Chapter One: I Wake Up Exhausted .
Harry awoke from another dream of pale skin and blonde hair with a sigh. He rolled over on his side to try and avoid the annoying rays of sunlight that had begun to creep through his window, and into his bedroom. He turned to find a pair of amber eyes staring at him from a freckled face. Ginny smiled at him lazily before stretching her long arms and crawling out of bed. He couldn't help but grumble in annoyance when she announced the time.
"Harry, you really should get up soon, your due at the ministry in about an hour..." she reminded in a calm but firm tone. Harry, in response, groaned loudly and buried his face in comfortable goose feather pillow. His wife giggled, before picking up her wand from the night stand and proceeding to poke him with it until he finally raised his arms in surrender, slowly crawling off the bed.
"The guest of honor cannot be late!" she smiled, pushing him towards the bathroom. He nodded in response and watched as she turned on the shower, set out a gryffindor crimson towel for him, then went back into the bedroom to lay out his clothes. When the redhead finished she gave him quick kiss on the cheek before making her way down the hall to wake the younger Potters.
Harry stared blankly at the spot where she had just been, still half asleep, and slowly began to remove his pale blue pajamas (they started their life red, a Christmas gift from his young wife, but Harry was quickly growing tired of that ever-present color). He walked into the steamy shower, hanging his head and just enjoying the feel of the warm water on his skin. His mind began to slowly wander back to the subject of his dream, until his wife's voice brought him back to reality.
"Kids! Get ready! Remember, today is the ceremony!"
He sighed, pushing the unwanted thoughts from his head, feeling slightly guilty. He grabbed his apricot scented shampoo and started to work the orange liquid into his thick black hair- taking this moment alone to reflect on the years since Voldemort's destruction.
Ever since that fateful night everything had been just a blur of ceremonies, interviews and speeches. Harry was so sick of it. He enjoyed the positive attention at first, just glad he was famous for being a hero instead of a "liar", but now all he really wanted was for it all to just go away. He was so tired. If it wasn't for his three children, he would have left Wizarding London for good.
'...and Ginny.' He reminded himself. He had to stay for his wife, too.
He just wished he could leave the house without being recognized on the streets, to be able to take his children out for sweets without being swarmed by people who wanted to thank him, or ask questions, or take his bloody picture.
Recently, his only solstice has been his ever more frequent trips to muggle pubs, to just have a pint and blend in with the crowd. However, wizards had started popping up in his favorite spots, just to catch a glimpse of THE Harry Potter. Even in his own home he could find no sanctuary.
During the months when their children were away at Hogwarts, Ginny had nothing to focus her attentions on but him. She was a wonderful wife, really, always so adoring. But recently, Harry could help but feel suffocated, like she was just another fan he couldn't escape. He hated feeling that way about the mother of his own children, the thought filled him with shame, but was always there, lingering in the dark corners of his mind.
Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if it was him she agreed to marry, or just the idea of him. Who wouldn't want to be married to the most famous wizard since Albus Dumbledore?
Harry sighed, and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the garishly colored towel and drying himself off. He caught sight of himself in the large full length mirror and gave it one of his seemingly endless fake smiles.
"That will do..." he murmured, before wandering into the bedroom and dressing himself in his pre-determined, and thankfully gray, dress robes. It was going to be a long day.
oOoOoOoOo
The sound of an unfamiliar owl's talons lightly scratching at his window pulled Draco, reluctantly, from his sleep. He scowled, turning his slender body away from the offending sound, wanting nothing more than to return to that dream of bright emerald eyes and messy black hair- instead finding something rather irritating on the other end of his king sized bed.
"What are you still doing here?" he glared at the other male's still sleeping form with unbridled annoyance. He stands then, forcing himself out of the comfort of his smooth, silver satin sheets and reaches for his wand- wanting nothing more than to mutter a good hex at this most intrusive guest.
As if the darker man somehow psychically knew what was about to become of him, he finally wakes, turning to see a very irate looking Malfoy pointing his wand at him.
"Woah, put that thing away, mate! What a way to greet a fellow first thing in the morning..."
The blonde simply shakes his head in annoyance, then sighs, and proceeds to gather the other man's garments, which are then thrown onto the bed.
"Get out, Blaise. You know my rules. I don't do sleep overs..." he growls, before donning his favorite black and silver house robe, while calling a house elf to fetch his slippers. The dark skinned boy just smirks, still laying on the bed. He rolls his eyes at the dramatic blonde.
"Draco, it's been two years. I thought maybe things had changed..."
Draco simply shoots him a glare as he finally opens his window, allowing the small gray owl to flutter in, dropping an envelope into his expectant hands.
"I thought we could grab a cup of coffee or something... catch up a bit. Hey, hows the kid?"
At this, Draco finally turns to face his once fellow Slytherin, his lips just itching to curse the other man, instead he just walks to end of the master bedroom, opening the heavy door.
"If you'd like a cup of coffee, see yourself to the kitchen and ask a house elf to serve you one. As far as catching up, I don't have the time. I'm picking up Scorpius in an hour from his mother's. Maybe some other time."
Blaise was no idiot, 'maybe sometime' really meant never. The handsome pureblood wasn't too disappointed, his charms never seemed to effect the blonde like they did the rest of the wizarding population.
With those final words, Draco turned to make his way toward the master bathroom, stopping only to ask House Elf Number Two to make his guest a cup of coffee then show him out. Making sure to lock the door behind him, Draco now takes his time to read the unusual unmarked letter in private, surprised to find an invitation inside, printed on fine eggshell white paper.
His pale blue eyes quickly glance over the words "Guest of Honor: Harry James Potter' before he tosses it into the open wastebasket. It had been years since he'd seen the boy- no, man, with the exception of newspaper photographs and brief glances at platform 9 3/4. Most recently, he had bought young Scorpius a chocolate frog, only to find Potter's smiling and waving at him from the bottom of the box.
Draco was almost certain that was the explanation for the previous night's dream- which also involved chocolate and a certain Wizarding Celebrity. He sighed loudly, making his way to the shower, the scalding water soothing him till he looked down and noticed, with some irritation, that a certain part of his body was now standing at attention.
"Damn that Potter..." he growled, trying to ignore it by focusing on lathering his hair, the scent of cucumber and melon filling the air.
"It's been years since, gah! What the hell's wrong with me?"
He finishes he shower, managing to avoid the full jerk-off session that would have ensued had he not been in a hurry, and wraps his still thin pale body in a soft seafoam green towel. He looks down, noticing the invitation still lying face up in the rubbish bin, Harry's name written across it in the brightest of reds. He scowls, reaching in and retrieving it- bringing it with him into his bedroom to change.
"Zabini, please." He rubs at his temples when he notices the handsome dark man still sitting on his bed, being begged to leave by three flustered looking young house elves. The man gives him another one of those smiles that would have melted a lesser wizard where his stood, which Draco replies to by pointing to the door, making a mental note never to allow this nuisance into his home again.
"Alright, alright Draco. I'm going, I'm going.." he stands, starting for the door, before he turns with a suddenly michevious smile playing on his lips.
"Still into Potter, eh?" He eyes the envelope as the Malfoy instinctively tightens his grip on it, scowl deepening.
"I've got to admit though, he did get hot. He's no Zabini or anything but I might even show up to celebrate that piece of ass..." He continued, winking at the suddenly more irate blonde.
Draco gives him one more icey glare, wondering just where the hell his once cold "friend" had picked up such a mouth, before slamming the door in his lovely face.
"Bye Draco!" he heard the other call as he turned to face the bed, which was now neatly made, his casual black robes lain out before him.
"Fetch me some dress robes to bring with me." he ordered one of the elves, before putting on his usual attire, stuffing the invitation into his back pocket.
"Just in case..." he added with a wicked smirk.