Magic
~Feelings ~
Narcissa really had excellent taste in clothes, Harry thought, marvelling at how the long sleeved shirt shaded in white adorned with silver threads spinning intricate patterns on its collar and cuffs made him look as polished as her son.
Well, almost, none could rival Draco in the vanity department, he mused as he padded his way out of his room which used to be Sirius' room.
"This biased Joanne woman made me look like a whiny, spineless coward in all her books!"
Almost immediately Draco's loud complains greeted him as he clicked the room door shut and that sent Harry wondering if the blond had supersonic ears of some sort.
"Oh come on, quit whinging already!"
They had just spent the entire day reading.
Together.
Every day without fail ever since that night.
Imagine that.
Expelling a sigh, Harry critically surveyed his appearance as he passed by the tall mirror permanently stuck on the wall next to Regulus' room near the banister of the topmost landing, cringing at the grotesque Medusa carved frame housing the glass.
"Hurry up will you!"
"Impatient git…." Harry muttered.
Right after the star blasted into the infinite space, the strange surrounding went pitch dark and they couldn't even see each other. Their wands, even the Elder wand couldn't seem to ignite even the tiniest Lumos. Clearly their wands were not working at all in there.
After painstakingly groping around in the stifling darkness, with arms loaded full of books, they located the door and it led them not into the Circular Room or the Brain Room at all. Instead they found themselves inside his parents' old home in Godric Hollow, in their bedroom to be exact.
The large, dusty wooden playpen was the first thing that held their attention.
The familiarity rang so heavy it was uncanny. Of course back then they didn't have a clue yet that it was in that playpen young Draco and Harry first met, played, laughed and then bawled their lungs out when it was time to part ways.
Little did the innocent toddlers know it would be a decade later till they were to cross path again.
Under completely different circumstances that was.
"Harry! Are you laying eggs up there?!"
"Don't shout at me in my own home, Draco!" Harry yelled.
A decent hair trim was totally called for, not that it would make any difference at all, he brooded as he marched his way down the stairs slowly, envying Draco's latest hairstyle, all rugged and windswept and yet it made the blond look like he just stepped out from a fashion tabloid.
The injustice of it all, Harry lamented at his own untidy mop that made him look like he just tumbled out of bed no matter how diligently he brushed the springing strands down.
A tickled grin crept into his face when he recalled the huge spat they fell into pertaining to who should read the books first before they finally compromised to read it together, line by line, page by page. That brought about another round of heated argument about a suitable venue. It was either Malfoy Manor or Grimmauld Place.
A resolution, by way of tossing a sickel was finally reached.
And it was most fortunate he won.
And it was terribly unfortunate too because he had to miss a lot of dates with Ginny as their pact came with a non-negotiable condition.
They wouldn't stop reading until all seven books had been thoroughly digested.
"Finally, what took you so long?"
"Patience is virtue, Draco," Harry quoted the moment his feet hit the bottom step.
"You're wearing the shirt Mother sent you." Draco's aristocrat brows arched speculatively. "It's such a refreshing change to see you depart from your usual careless style."
Up to his ears with the blond's constant nagging of his lack of eloquence in the grooming department, Harry allowed himself a salacious smirk in his head when Draco's cool greys sparked with approval. Oh well, male vanity aside, he did look rather handsome, he crowed silently.
"Let's celebrate our first milestone tonight then," Draco went on chattily as Harry led him through the hallway and then added, "I'm in the mood for pasta and I know just the place."
Harry shook his head. "Sorry, kind of thinking of asking Ginny out for dinner, Draco, I'm heading to the Burrow just so you know."
"Will you stop it already," Draco lectured, tugging his arm just as persistently, brooking no refusal of any sort. "Our main aim is to get to the bottom of the Prophecy and find out what roles the books play in it."
Now that didn't leave much room for argument, since that was true but Harry made a token protest just the same. "I've not seen her once ever since that night, Draco," he pleaded and then quickly improvised. "She might think I'm not interested and worse, what if she hooks up with someone else."
Draco cast him a plaintive look that suggested otherwise. "I hate to disillusion you, hero boy, but any witch would be crazy not to have you. Relax, will you, she's not going anywhere."
Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't hold back a grin. Ginny had been very understanding as always and didn't even probe when he fibbed he had some unfinished business with the Dursleys.
His best mates though, were raring at the prospect of a new adventure. On the same night, right before they went to Malfoy Manor, he had forcefully dragged a highly reluctant Draco with him to the Burrow to drop the news. Upon hearing the Prophecy and later indulging herself with sneak previews of the books, Hermione made Draco and him promise to let her and Ron and read them as soon as they were done.
Harry bet that right now she was religiously leafing through pages of any book she could lay her hands on about stars.
Ron's cordiality toward Draco was quite unexpected although Harry suspected it was because the latter had wisely kept his snarky mouth shut and let Harry sing tributes about his unassuming heroic deeds.
"Stop thinking so hard and just let me treat you out for dinner." Draco's voice brought Harry out of his thoughts in no time. They were now at the front door. "You can spend the whole day with Ginny tomorrow."
Harry sighed. "Okay, lead the way," he relented as soon as they stepped outside. "Where is it anyway, Dra…"
The sudden darkness and the unpleasant, familiar pull of Apparation made him wobble, the only thing that kept him upright was Draco's hand clawing his arm like vice. Seconds later they were standing right smack in the heart of Diagon Alley.
Furious, Harry yanked his arm away. "Could've said something!"
Looking so annoyingly unaffected by the outburst, Draco simply waved his index finger under Harry's nose. "You told me to lead the way."
Harry nearly bit the pale digit off, he was that close. "Let's go," he seethed instead, not wanting to waste precious time arguing when his stomach was already rumbling a number from the Weird Sisters. "Since you're paying I so intend to order the most expensive set on the menu, the finest wine and of course dessert and it'd better be something chocolate, we can skip the starters though, I'm famished."
"I can buy the whole place for you if you want," Draco said seriously.
Really, it was getting to be really annoying the way Harry couldn't seem to let his annoyance with Draco remain at bay for long. Thrown into so much alone time together he found out Draco's wicked wit was hard not to agree with.
"I'll take you up on that someday," he hummed as they strolled along the cobbled street in companionable silence, his spirits lifting upon seeing the exciting assortments of shops, cafes and whatnots, gaily lighted by the street lamps.
"The first time I saw this place I couldn't stop gawking,' he mumbled, tone nostalgic, grinning at two little boys whom were jumping with excitement when they saw him from across the street. That sent him into a fast stride, anxious not to attract too much mayhem when the boys alerted the rest of the diners in that open concept café. "The last time I was really here at night was somewhere during our Third year…"
"You're kidding?" Draco intoned incredulously, steering him into a narrow footway of the seemingly endless street. Harry didn't even know there was a side lane there, what more a row of what looked to be some seriously posh restaurants once they come out from the dimly lighted alley. "I mean I know that's what the third book claims but seriously?"
"Yeah, pity isn't it?" Harry said distractedly. He was more interested in the pasta Draco was craving for. "The restaurants here are rather grand, Draco, I thought we'd be eating in one of those bustling cafes in the main street."
"I figured you'd need the privacy," Draco grinned. "Don't think I didn't notice people staring at you, Harry, and I for one do not want to be interrupted when we're eating. There are bound to be folks queuing up for your autographs."
Harry snorted. "Yeah right, like they were all grovelling at my feet just now."
"Ever heard of a hey, stranger, you can admire me but you cannot touch me charm?" Draco questioned innocently.
That sent Harry's eyes rolling. "Why am I not surprised?"
Draco laughed. It wasn't long before Harry joined in and by the time they reached the last eatery at the end of the street, both of them were bursting with good mood.
"Lovers' Tastebuds..." Harry snickered when he saw the cheery sign outside the premises. "How quaint."
"Don't dish it before you try it," Draco said lightly and then pointed at a free table decked with stars and moon patterned tablecloth on the patio. "Let's dine outside."
"Granted," Harry agreed cheerfully, secretly praising Draco's repelling charm. Although heads turn to stare at them from the neighbouring seats, the restaurant's patrons seemed glued to their spot.
More elegant dining took place inside for those gaming for a more formal meal but he would rather dine out here. The setting inside there had a kind of romantic ambience to it, candles and roses and there was even someone playing the piano. "Oh now I get it, this place is a rendezvous for trysting couples, hence the name."
"Please note that it's certainly not meant for lovers who couldn't afford the tab, Harry."
"I'll bet."
Once seated, someone, assumingly the staff, came by so quickly that Harry couldn't help thinking the man must have Apparated his way to them. Wearing a black silk shirt and a ridiculously tight leather pants, he should have looked like a complete twit but he was so handsome in that Adonis kind of way, dark blond curls with skin shaded a deep bronze tan, Harry thought he was the only man in Britain who could carry it off.
"Draco, it's been a long time, you imbecile prat!"
"Aurio," Draco smiled, raising his hand in mock salute. He spoke in a suave, grown up voice Harry hardly recognised. "How's it going, Cousin?"
"With Loony Voldie gone and good riddance to him," Aurio grinned and Harry couldn't help liking him on the spot, he kind of reminded him of the twins, "my business has boomed and…" and Aurio gaped and then gasped loudly when his blue eyes crossed with the lightning bolt on Harry's forehead, "oh Merlin! Bloody hell, shite… fuck… shite… oh pardon my rudeness but you're the legendary Harry Potter!"
"Not sure about the legendary part though but yes, I'm Harry Potter," Harry nodded modestly, hand outstretched. "Cool place, Draco claims you serve the best pasta."
"Aurio Clemens Black." Aurio nearly wrenched his arm off, discerning Harry's widening eyes at the mention of his last name. "Tonight's on the house, Cousin, it's my pleasure to have you here, Harry," he beamed before prattling off. "Oh but can I say this, you look much, much better in real life, you're sort of very, very prettily handsome, nice skin too, but I'd ditched those glasses if I were you and although I dig your lovely locks, you should really snip some of the wily strands off… "
Harry chuckled as Draco made to pry Aurio's fingers off his, internally set to drill Draco more about his cousin later. "Aurio, you're embarrassing yourself, Harry doesn't need styling tips any more than you do."
"Shut up and let me bask in the glory," Aurio responded good-naturedly and then turned to Harry. "I serve only the best, all ingredients fresh and…"
"And you need to bring us our pasta," Draco broke in smoothly, "and I want you to do it for us, Aurio, not any one of your lovely harem charges."
"Yes, Master Draco," Aurio sang sneeringly, "Merlin you're such a prat, such a twisted fate to have us related, you better take him in hand, Harry, come to think about it I wonder why you're even friends with him…"
Harry found himself laughing again at Aurio's retreating back, the man was hilarious. "Is he anyway related to any one of the infamous Black?"
"Aurio's grandfather was blasted off the Family Tree when he splurged too much gold on his runaway nephew," Draco said, spreading out his napkin while studying Harry closely, "wreck your brains, Harry, I'm sure you know who that particular nephew was."
Harry froze, brains ticking wildly. "Sirius?" he whispered not long later. "Wait, I think he did tell me about his uncle who helped him out… Alphard, yes, Alphard, now I remember…"
Their order arrived just then, Harry bet there was some remarkable magic involved because not even Mrs Weasley could whip up a main course so fast, delivered by two waiters who looked about their age, wearing stunned looks on their faces, both strikingly attractive like the owner to say the least. One of them nearly toppled the tall glasses and the bottle of wine whilst the other narrowly missed spilling the mouth-watering pastas on the table.
"Sorry, Mr Malfoy…"
"It's Draco, Jake," Draco smiled warmly when the dark haired one filled up the wine glasses. "I assume Aurio did the honours himself, Tate?"
The one called Tate, sporting sandy blond hair nodded with a fond grin.
Harry's heart skipped a beat. This person seating across him was nothing like the Draco he knew, or at least he thought he knew.
"Who are you, stranger?" he demanded as soon as Jake and Tate were out of earshot. "The Draco I remember would never hesitate to lord and boss people whom were beneath him."
Draco prized him a low chuckle. "That's because you know nothing about my personal life at all, Harry," he said, expertly twining the long spaghetti strands around the twines of his silver fork. "Urmm… I miss Aurio's pastas…" he mumbled. "Well, go on, tuck in, I'll fill you in while we eat and tonight you can ask me anything."
Harry needed no further encouragement to dig into the spaghetti drenched in a sauce that was like no other. "My god, this is fantastic…" he breathed as both of them lapsed into a stretch of contented muteness just to savour Aurio's speciality, spearing the generous meatballs among the moist strands with gusto. "So is he still around, Alphard I mean…"
Draco sipped his wine with such an impeccable grace that made Harry slow down his vicious attacks on his delicious spaghetti, inwardly berating his lack of poise in fine dining. "No, too bad he passed on when I was about four, he's the one taking care of his grandson ever since Aurio's parents were murdered in their home under the killing curse, courtesy from Voldermort himself."
A lump formed at the base of Harry's throat. It seemed to him that Voldermort's penchant for making an orphan out of little boys had begun long before the Darklord set his sights on the Potter family.
"Voldermort was never kind to rich and influential Purebloods who openly ridiculed his ways," Draco explained, voice chilled. "It was sheer good fate that Aurio, he was about four then, was staying over with Alphard that night or otherwise he'd be toasted as well. Since then, my granduncle took it upon himself to shield Aurio from the horrors of anything that spelt Voldermort, he blamed himself for letting Iglesias, his deceased bondmate down, by failing to protect Clemen, their only son."
Something struck Harry as really odd. "I'm missing something here, Iglesias was a…."
"Yes, a man," supplied Draco.
As Harry's jaw dropped, bits of spaghetti dangled unattractively past his mouth and he quickly slurped the strands in, diplomatically ignoring Draco's revolted shudders. He didn't have any issues at all with homosexuality or bisexuality or whatsoever, somewhere along the lines he kind of figured out that Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald. To him it was simply a personal preference, who was he to pass judgement anyway.
"But then, how did…"
"Pregnancy Potion," Draco announced as casually as if he was discussing the weather. "Surprised? Does my ancestors' colourful history scare you, Harry?"
Harry threw him an offended stare. "You wish," he said. "I thought the Potion was made illegal for men because it could be fatal, something about going against the forces of nature."
Draco looked suitably impressed. "When your Gringotts is bursting with too much gold and you love someone with all your heart, everything can be made possible, Harry," he stated simply. "But like you said, it was fatal what more Iglesias being a Muggle with no magical blood in him at all. He died a week after the birthing procedure. Poor Granduncle nearly went berserk."
"You seem to adore Alphard very much," Harry said as he helped himself to more wine after cleaning his plate till he could see his face gleaming back. Said plate soon vanished and he barely had time to marvel at the excellent service of Aurio's restaurant when he heard Draco speak again.
"Granduncle was one of a kind I guess…" It wasn't hard to detect the animated shine in Draco's eyes. "Just being near him would give me the goose-bumps, because I could practically feel waves of his magic dancing around him. My mother adored him too and he simply doted on her, taught her the pros and cons of complicated politics among Purebloods real early."
The mention of Draco's mother put an end to Harry's curiosity about Alphard. "Tell me more about my dear godmother, you're always evading the subject," he pressed.
"Crushing much on my mother?" Draco intoned silkily.
"What?!" cried Harry, casting him a disparaging glare. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."
"Can you ever not fall for something as absurd as that?" Draco chuckled.
Bloody wanker.
"Shut it." Harry grabbed his drink, sipping the liquid with flair, not wanting to be outdone by Draco's princely dining etiquette. "I'm ready for dessert now…"
That was when he heard a feminine chuckle that reminded him instantly of Ginny.
"She's here."
"Who?"
Pushing his chair back in order to get a fuller view of the inside dining area, Harry searched through a sea of faces but couldn't locate her. Could he have imagined it? No, he could recognise her laugh anywhere…
Then he saw her.
Harry's heart pounded against his ribcage as Ginny walked out of the restaurant foyer. She wasn't alone. A tall, dark haired man with legs that seemed to go all the way up to his neck and boasting with enviable athletic physique was striding beside her.
"Oliver…"
Yes, Oliver Wood's arm was delicately tucked in Ginny's and she was smiling up at him with eyes big and dazzling enough to turn heads.
Harry's stomach tightened into a tight knot and he felt rather than saw Draco eyeing him anxiously when the perfect looking pair spotted them and headed straight toward their table.
Oliver was all smiles and beams. "Harry, my man!"
Ginny audibly swallowed as her gaze rested on Harry and then Draco. "Harry? You're back?"
"Hey, Oliver, how's it going?" Harry returned with a too wide grin that made his jaw ache, pointedly ignoring Ginny's searching gaze. "Oh yeah, heard from Ron that you're now Captain in Puddlemere United."
Oliver glowed, apparently not realising the highly discomfiture Ginny at his side. "It's great, really…" he nodded enthusiastically before his gaze connected with Draco's and then promptly scowled. "So you're mates now huh… "
Glowering, Draco stood up. "Apparently yes."
"It's a long history but Draco's on our side all along," Harry offered hurriedly, reveling in Ginny's crestfallen sigh. "I didn't know you two were dating, Oliver," he improvised in a bid to lighten the tensed air between the men, artfully coercing another brilliant beam out. Having left Hogwarts way before him, Oliver couldn't have possibly known that Ginny and Harry were, or most accurately, used to be an item.
"She saved my life in Hogwarts that night," Oliver explained, slanting moony eyes at Ginny who returned the silly look, making Harry's stomach turn. The older man soon wore a warm smile and promptly palmed a friendly clap onto Draco's rigid shoulder blades. "Any mate of Harry's is one of mine too… Draco, right?"
Draco visibly relaxed. "Sure, Oliver, I take it you know my cousin Aurio as well?"
Oliver's smile grew even warmer. "So you're related to crazy Aurio, that's way cool, mate!"
"Oh, you'll be singing a different tune if you really know how crazy he can be…"
While the two men were lost in petty gossips about Draco's crazy cousin and later the talk turned to Quidditch, Ginny threw pleading eyes at him, steering him slightly away from Draco and Oliver.
"Harry, let me explain," she urged softly and the softness of her touch seemed to burn the tender skin on his hand. "Please."
"It's okay Gin, I understand, Oliver's great and I'm happy that you're happy with him," Harry muttered, surprised at how calm he sounded when he was raging a hailstorm inside. "Come on, Draco, I'd like to thank Aurio for this fantastic meal," he called loudly.
Draco took the hint without much trouble. "Let's not encourage him, Harry… You know he's got a huge thing going on for you."
Oliver cackled heartily, oblivious to Ginny's guilt ridden mode.
"Don't forget to watch me play next month alright?"
"Sure mate!"
As Harry watched them leave, an odd feeling, one that he shouldn't be feeling at all and one that he could easily identify as guilt, some displaced sort of a guilty relief washed over him in waves. He wasn't hurt at all that she had fallen in love with someone else. He was merely furious that she kept it from him.
Yes he adored her, adored her to the moon and stars actually, but he had never looked at her the way Oliver was looking at her and right now he was at least certain of one most important thing.
He probably never would.
Ginny being simply Ginny probably had sensed that ages before he did.
Some things were just not meant to be.
"Ginny!"
She stopped and turned.
Harry smiled.
Ginny smiled back.
Draco's glimmer of amusement made his smile falter.
"Not a word, Draco."
"Wasn't saying anything," Draco replied and then calmly added. "Those books made me assume that you're really into her but you letting her go so readily seems contradicting."
"I do care about her!" Harry argued heatedly.
"Answer me this honestly will you," Draco said, resting a pacifying hand around his shoulders, steering him toward the entrance. "I know I was an arse but that time in first year when we met at Madam Malkin's, what actually was going on through your mind?"
Right now, Harry's primary concern was that while Draco had just removed his hand away, the blond's fingers were now circling his wrist in an overly protective mode as they walked. The gesture wasn't repulsive, far from it if truth be told. Oh forget it, he's reading too much into this, he reasoned silently, considering what had transpired between their mothers, Draco may be the closest non-blood relation he ever had for a brother.
"Harry? Are you even listening to me?"
Startled, his voice came out louder than usual. "I was attracted to you."
Heads turned from nearby tables and Harry promptly found himself the recipient of Draco's mirth.
What did I just say, Gods, what must he think of me…
"I was drawn to you," Harry amended lowly, silently berating himself. "You felt familiar, you even smelled familiar and…"
At Draco's amused raised brows Harry let his statement hang, blushing furiously, convinced how weird the words must have sounded to the blond.
"Relax, kiddo…" Draco told him with a grin. "You're not the only one who felt it."
The relief was so uplifting that Harry broke out grinning. "You don't know how gratified I am to hear that, Draco," he admitted truthfully. "It's just that we were toddlers back then, don't you find it strange that we could somehow recall each other at all?"
"I'm going home tonight," Draco replied instead, swiping the colourful stringed beads that served as curtains to Aurio's large kitchen. The Adonis lookalike master-chef didn't even notice them above the din, too busy twirling his wand here there everywhere to concoct his sumptuous dishes, shouting orders to his helpers. "Father's been asking for me."
The bubble of happiness that had unknowingly nested in him for the past two weeks ever since Draco came to stay was fast deflating.
"Of course," Harry nodded, willing away that sinking sensation at the pit of his chest. "You didn't answer my question, Draco," he muttered, keeping his gaze fixed on the huge fridge at the corner of the steaming but miraculously spotless kitchen.
"I will answer that when we meet again tomorrow evening." Draco pointedly tilted Harry's chin up to meet his eyes before slowly withdrawing his hand away. "How I wish I don't have to go, there's plenty we need to discuss yet."
"Don't make it sound so serious though," Harry chided teasingly, his mood rising when he saw that Draco apparently held the same sentiment. "It's not as if we're going to stop hanging out together."
"Harry! Welcome to my second abode!"
Aurio's cheery voice had nothing to do with the coils of warmth that came creeping back into his chest. It was the way Draco was smiling at him and the smile, so bright and yet so soft had sailed straight into his heart.
*D*R*A*R*R*Y*F*E*L*T*C*L*I*F*F*E*
Daniel could barely contain his excitement. Out of the blue his parents had suggested for a weekend hiking cum camping trip. They're picking him up right after school tomorrow and had insisted in keeping the venue a secret until then. Just call it intuition or whatever but he swore he knew that this was going to be an outing like no other.
He could feel it in his bones.
*D*R*A*R*R*Y*F*E*L*T*C*L*I*F*F*E*
Tom was certain he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink tonight. For some unknown reason that he wasn't about to complain, his mom and dad was suddenly interested to get in touch with nature. His brothers may laugh but he knew this was going to be the one trip he would remember till the end of his days.
His instinct was almost always right.
~TBC~