A/N: Thank you to my lovely beta gusx217
Undesirable Mission - Chapter 2Next evening when Harry was getting ready for his dinner with Draco, he felt strangely excited and waited for the evening with more expectations than he would have ever admitted – even to himself.
Draco had chosen a new fancy restaurant near the Diagon Alley and they met just outside of the building. Harry's eyes lit up when he saw the gorgeous blond already waiting for him.
Draco eyed Harry with a small approving smile. "I knew you could make yourself presentable when you really put your mind to it."
Harry chuckled smoothing his dark green robes and wondered idly if that remark made before yesterday would have insulted him, instead of making him amused as it did now.
"Aww, you think that flattery can get you anywhere? Come on you git, let's go inside already, I'm starving!" Harry answered with a glint in his eyes and slid his hand on the small of Draco's back. Draco glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
It was a Greek restaurant and Draco seemed to be a regular customer there. He knew exactly what to recommend from the menu and chatted comfortably with the waiter.
Once again they spent a wonderful evening and enjoyed each other's company. Even Draco found himself relaxing entirely and when the delicious dinner was over, neither of them wanted the evening to come to an end.
They stood outside of the restaurant a bit awkwardly, neither of them knowing exactly what to say. Harry wondered anxiously if he should invite Draco to his place to have a cup of coffee or something, when Draco cleared his throat.
"I just received some good brandy and I was wondering if you wanted to come and have a drink? Or is it too late already..." Draco's voice trailed off, as if he was having some second thoughts, but Harry keenly accepted the offer.
"I'd love to. It's not too late, at least not for me."
"Very well then, follow me." Draco offered his arm to Harry and then Apparated them away. Harry had a passing thought that he had never bothered to ask where Draco lived. Probably not in the Malfoy Manor anymore though.
When they arrived at Draco's apartment, Harry looked around curiously at Draco's stylish living room. Draco's flat didn't look like he would have expected – there were no marble floors, antique furniture or golden chandeliers instead there was a tastefully decorated living room with modern white and grey furniture and carpets, and some elegant paintings on the wall.
Draco gestured for Harry to take a seat on the comfortable looking couch while he went to the side table which was loaded with several delicious looking bottles. He poured a good amount of amber liquid in two glasses and handed a glass to Harry. Draco sat on the armchair in front of the sofa and made a toast with his glass.
"Welcome to my home."
"Thank you, it's beautiful. I never would have guessed that your taste would have been so... modern." Harry said once again looking around the room.
Draco's expression stiffened a bit.
"What did you expect then?"
"I guess something more like the Malfoy Manor. But I think this looks more like you now."
"I do appreciate the interior of Malfoy Manor, but this is more like me indeed." Draco answered. "I don't think your home looks much like your childhood home either."
Harry snorted. "I don't have any warm memories of my childhood home, thank you very much. The only place I have ever thought as my home was Hogwarts, and now my own flat, of course."
"Ah, the Muggle relatives who raised you. I heard they were not the most loving family for the Savior of the Wizarding World. Everyone in Hogwarts thought that you were spoiled rotten as a child, you know."
"Far from spoiled I guess, more like a house elf for them, if they ever even spared a thought for the Wizarding World. They hated the magic and wanted nothing to do with it."
"Hmm, it's good you got rid of them then. How about the Weasleys? I always thought you were their adopted son or something. Or son-in-law by now. What happened?"
"Well, I guess I'm still partially their so called adopted son and I think I will be always welcome to the Burrow, but things changed a bit after I broke up with Ginny. I think Molly is quite disappointed in me not marrying Ginny."
"Why didn't you? Marry the Weaselette, I mean?"
"I just realized after the school and the war, that I didn't really know what I wanted and I don't think Gin did either. Everyone just assumed that we would get married and have a bunch of children in a few years, but somehow that wasn't so tempting for me anymore as I had thought."
"Just be glad that you were spared of that destiny. I think the world has enough redheads already."
Harry chuckled and thought about Ginny and how they had decided they didn't have enough feelings towards each other to keep on dating or even get married. They had both been equally relieved about their decision. After their break up Harry tried to date some other girls, but somehow none of them felt right. Then Harry had caught himself for watching some handsome men with growing interest, and after a long debate with himself, went on a date with one. That was a successful evening and after that Harry didn't look back.
"...probably I should start trusting him more." Draco was saying, and Harry had no idea what he was talking about, he had been so deep in thought.
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I knew it, you were not listening to a word of what I said!" Draco huffed but grinned then. "I just said that I didn't think the Minister's idea of us being friends was a very good idea, but now I think he had a point."
"I suppose you should give him more credit than you do, he's your boss after all and quite good at it too. I was curious about you working as an Unspeakable, how did you end up there in the first place?" Harry asked.
"Well, I have always been good at charms and curses and solving problems, so after the war was over and my reputation was cleaned – to some point at least – I went to the Minister and asked for a job. I guess he thought this was the best place for me to keep me out of sight for the majority of the Wizarding world and still make my skills useful. You know, we aren't allowed to talk about our job, right?"
"Yeah yeah, I know it and I won't ask, I promise. But do you like your job anyway?"
"It's okay. At least I have something to do instead of walking around the Manor all day and trying to keep company to my mother. She's not taking my father's imprisonment very well."
"She should be grateful that your father wasn't sentenced to get a Dementor's Kiss after all the crap he did. Ten years in Azkaban is a fair price for that, and half of the sentence is done already, so he will be back at home in no time."
"Easy for you to say. She has almost no friends left and living alone with only a bunch of house elves to keep her company isn't the most perfect life she could imagine. She has always been such a social person and now when even I have failed to give her a grandchild to spoil rotten, she's quite lonely. Thankfully she hasn't become bitter."
"Did you ever think of marrying someone? I mean, you are the only heir to the
Malfoy fortune and the expectations for you must have been quite heavy." Harry asked.
Draco snorted. "There's not much of a Malfoy fortune left after the war. I guess I never gave the heir issue any thought, I just assumed that I'd figure out something when the time came, but years have gone by and I guess I should do something about it, if I'm ever going to have a heir of my own."
Harry looked a bit confused. "I thought you were gay", he said uncertainly and averted his eyes from Draco.
"Believe me, I am, but there are ways to get a child even if you can't have sex with women. I don't think I could even get it up in front of a woman, let alone get any woman pregnant by any natural ways." Draco chuckled. "No Harry, I'd use a surrogate mother for my future child."
"Oh", was all Harry could say and then fell silent.
After a while of awkward silence Draco shifted in his seat and raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem, Harry?"
"No, not a problem", Harry said, " I just never thought of it before. I mean, it seemed so clear to me and everybody else when we were in Hogwarts, that you'd marry Pansy or some other pureblood Slytherin girl, get one or two perfect blond Malfoy heirs and live happily ever after in the Manor. I think neither one of us did anything that was expected after all."
"Probably not, but that doesn't mean it was the wrong thing to do, does it?"
"Have you asked your mother about that?" Harry asked with a slight smirk.
"I don't have to. She knows that I will never fit into my expected role as Lord Malfoy like my father. I might have to accept some of the family responsibilities in time, but my life is elsewhere now and who knows what happens in ten or twenty years."
"Are you seeing someone?" Harry asked abruptly and blushed. "I mean, are you single or something? I have never seen you with anybody."
"What if I am seeing someone? Why would you care?" Draco looked down at his hands holding his drink and didn't let Harry see his eyes.
"I know, it's not any of my business, I was just curious, after all this talk about marriage and children and all. I'm sorry I asked." Harry answered a little hastily and stood up. "Anyway, it's getting late and I think I better go now."
He moved towards the door when Draco caught his hand. "Don't go, Harry. Not yet." Draco said softly and moved right beside Harry, very close. Harry turned his head to look at Draco, suddenly seeing his face very serious and vulnerable.
"Why...", Harry didn't get to finish his question when Draco's lips were suddenly on his, tentatively at first, tasting and exploring, but when Harry didn't resist or step away, the kiss turned much more intensive and full of desire.
Harry was frozen in place. He couldn't comprehend what was happening, it was too sudden. He liked Draco, of course, he was even attracted to him, but he had never thought that they could be anything more than friends. His brains shouted at him "Kiss him back, you idiot, loosen up and get him!". Draco's lips were soft and tempting and Harry was just about to drown into the sensations of the kiss, when Draco quietly moaned against his lips, "I have wanted to do this since the party." Suddenly it struck him, maybe this was not for real, but just a little spice up to their current mission to fool the press. Maybe this was nothing more and would end as soon as the press was convinced! Harry's mind provided images of Draco talking to Rita Skeeter about their relationship and ending up on the front page of the Prophet just to get some "good publicity" he had talked about at the party.
Harry felt sick and broke away from Draco's lips and wandering hands and managed to murmur, "I have to go". He ran out of the flat and the building and didn't stop until he was a couple of blocks away in a deserted alley where he could Apparate home. He desperately needed time to think.
Draco stood in the middle of his living room feeling shaky, anxious and betrayed. He had been all wrong, Harry didn't share his feelings at all like he had thought, didn't want him like he wanted Harry. He had been so sure of it, too sure of it actually. Little by little he calmed down and cold anger replaced his disappointment. He would get out of this mission and show Potter that he didn't need him or anybody else in his life for him to be acknowledged. Stiffly Draco turned around and disappeared into his bedroom.
tbc