After a few days of Draco bugging and nagging, though he calls it 'reminding', Harry agrees to look for somewhere to live that wasn't the tiny bed and breakfast. Or as Draco has taken to call it: The Dreadful Nook.
He has to admit, he's looking forward to having his own room again. He idly looks around the car, no longer surprised Draco is driving, and wonders what sort of place they could agree upon. His style is so different than Draco's but he'll probably have to let the blonde have his way most of the time since he really doesn't care. He's not comfortable living by himself yet.
His thoughts are interrupted when he finally looks out the window and notices they are rather far from town, nearly in the middle of a forest, and he can't help but smile. Jake and Joe can run here without having to worry about being seen.
They turn into a pebbled driveway and Draco finally stops the car with a soft sound of triumph. (Draco usually makes some sort of triumphant or pleased sound when they get somewhere in one piece; Harry's quite sure it's because the blonde is surprised they aren't killed by the contraption.)
"We're here, Harry. Get out and look around!" Draco commands before he throws open the door and nearly runs towards the house.
Harry looks up at the house Draco has dragged him to see. Its all white, the only color being the bright blue door and black storm shutters around each window. And it's absolutely massive. There are ornately carved columns flanking the doors.
With a soft groan, he finally catches up with Draco at the front of the house by a large grey stone porch. Or maybe they call it some fancy name, like a receiving veranda, but he finds himself liking it either way. He sucks his teeth in annoyance when he looks at Draco's elated expression.
"Draco, I thought you said you could be understated," he finally manages, trying to ignore the huge expanse of yard surrounding the house but he can't help looking over the lush greenery.
Draco tilts his chin and scoffs, "This is understated, Potter. There are only six bedrooms and three stories."
He stresses each number as if it's offensive. Harry remembers the sheer size of Malfoy Manor; he's pretty sure that's exactly how Draco meant it.
Harry gives Draco a bland look. "Oh, my apologies. Only six bedrooms," he says and rolls his eyes, walking up to the front door. Well, entryway. He's sure you'd call something this big and ornate an entryway, not a door. "And you're sure we're allowed to wander through here without the estate agent?"
Draco looks down at his mobile (which fascinated him immediately when they wandered into the store and he was surprisingly quick in learning how to use it) to find the text message and nods. "Yes, I don't think she would have sent the key otherwise."
"You went into her office, flashed some money and took the key," Harry reminds with a snort and shakes his head.
Draco waves a hand. "Yes, well. She didn't stop me and she was very helpful with directions and telling me all sorts of information." He checks his pockets before he finally feels the key in his back pocket. "And besides, it's better we don't have some Muggle in the way. I want to make sure the basement can be used as a potions lab," he says and quickly unlocks the front door, stepping in and looking around.
"Wow," Harry says softly, wanting to gape and stare, but he keeps himself composed. The foyer is huge, but open and airy because it's practically surrounded in windows. He looks up, unsurprised to see an ornate crystal chandelier dangling over their heads. "Really, this is a little much, Draco. We'll come off as rich prats."
Draco scoffs, "In case you forgot, Potter, we are rich prats." He wanders away with a smirk.
Harry hears him making his way across the marble floor. He frowns at Draco's back. He doesn't want to look like his vault (or whatever the Muggle American equivalent is) was spilling over. He had hoped there wouldn't be such a large, high-priced property in Forks, knowing Draco would be drawn to it.
He sighs and starts exploring the house. He likes the open floor plan, each room hard to distinguish from the other without furniture to delineate and separate. He glances down and toes the hardwood floor absently with his trainer. They'll need carpets; he's had quite enough of cold wooden (or stone) floors.
He silently makes his way upstairs and his eyes go wide. The rooms are massive and each one has a fully appointed attached bathroom with a large communal bathroom at the very end of the hallway. He stares at the tub; it could hold at least six people and there are odd little holes in it. What kind of tub has holes in it?
The whole floor seems to be just bedrooms, otherwise. All six of them Harry thinks with a roll of his eyes. He honestly can't imagine ever needing so much room. His thoughts stray to his godson, Teddy, briefly and makes a mental note to owl Andromeda about Teddy coming for a visit. An embarrassed flush works up his face when he realizes he's not thought about Teddy since he left. Some godfather he's turning out to be. A smaller room, yet still bigger than his whole parlor at Grimmauld Place, looks like it's just waiting for a small child to make it his own.
With another sigh, he sets out to find Draco and his brows nearly disappear into his hairline when he finds Draco in the kitchen, exploring the Muggle appliances with an expression that Harry can only call pleased curiosity.
"Harry, what do all these bloody things do?" Draco demands as soon as he notices Harry standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He pokes a knob on the cook-top with a finger and stiffens, waiting to see if anything will happen.
Harry steps further in the kitchen, immediately liking the light, airy feel of the space. Everything is white or stainless steel, polished and shining. He points to everything he knows and explains the function to Draco, enjoying his grey eyes getting wider with each item.
He pulls out a drawer and frowns. "Not sure what this is for. I've never seen a cold box in a drawer. Looks really handy though," he says and eyes it, already imagining it full of various lagers and beer. Or wine. Draco always whines they don't get wine. Harry snickers at the thought a moment before wagging a finger at Draco. "And before you ask—no. No house elves." He ignores the pout that appears on Draco's face and walks over to a large window.
"Okay, it's nice," Harry says simply and he can feel Draco smirking at his back. He lets loose a resigned sigh. "Call Angela and see when we can buy it and get settled in, yeah?"
The sentence is barely out before Draco (Harry swears he heard him making a 'whoop!' noise) has his mobile to his ear, asking for the estate agent as he leaves the room. Harry turns to look out the large window again and jumps with a muttered curse when he hears a loud bang right next to him.
A large barn owl is battering itself against the windows, golden eyes looking at him pleadingly. He carefully leans over and opens the window for the bird and raises an eyebrow when it settles on the counter after he takes the parchment and small parcel from its leg, which he dutifully and quietly holds out. Definitely not a post owl then, he muses with a grin.
"Ah," Harry says aloud, apparently to the owl since Draco has now wandered outside. "Hermione." He smiles fondly at her neat script. He looks over at the owl and slowly approaches it, carefully stroking the feathers along its front when it doesn't make a move to bite or fly off. "So, Mortimer. Did you like flying all the way from England?" he asks, chuckling when the owl gives him a rather disgruntled look and softly hoots at him.
He glances back down to the letter. He had written Hermione about a week after they first arrived in Forks and sent it through the Muggle post not having an owl (or all that willing to send some poor creature practically around the world). By the date, it took over a week to get there and another few days for Hermione to respond.
Harry,
I'm so glad to finally hear from you! I couldn't believe it when the postmark was from America. Do you like it there? Have you found a nice wizarding town to settle in or are you somewhere around Muggles? I'm still getting over the shock of you not being here, you left so suddenly. With Malfoy. Honestly, Harry, you could have at least planned better. What are you going to do with Grimmauld Place? And Kreature?
The owl is Mortimer (Ron nearly pissed himself laughing at that name, still not sure why). He's yours now. I noticed you never bothered to replace Hedwig, so I took the liberty of getting you Mortimer. Doesn't Malfoy still have an owl? Honestly, I've lost count how many times that foul tempered bird bit me. Anyway, I included some owl treats, as I was sure you didn't have any. I do realize how strange it is to send an owl carrying his own food.
Teddy sends his love and wants to visit soon. He's not gone a day without asking about 'unk Harry'. Andromeda owled me the other day asking after you. It sounded important, not just a social call, but I didn't have any way to contact you until I got Mortimer. So consider this me telling you to contact Andromeda as soon as you can. Please wait at least a day so Mortimer can rest. Or you can floo. Are you near a floo network? Do you remember her floo address? "Tonks and Plonks". Don't ask me why it's named that, I'm sure I don't want to know.
I hope you're doing well and that you find what you were looking for, Harry.
Take care,
Hermione.
Harry keeps his gaze on the letter, his emotions running rampant. He noticed that Hermione barely mentioned Draco. He feels guilt flash through him again at the mention of Teddy. He had told his godson he was going away, making empty offers for him to visit since he thought Teddy wouldn't remember him. He's only 4 (soon to be 5) and he barely saw the little boy; twice a month at best and that was if Andromeda was feeling generous.
He laughs softly at Hermione's caring, yet chiding and occasional downright bossy tone. He folds the letter and shoves it in his pocket before he heads out in search of Draco. "Oh, Mortimer," he smiles (OK, it is an odd name for an owl) as he jerks a thumb to the open window, "go hunt a bit, yeah?" The owl gives another soft hoot and disappears out the open window.
"Draco!" Hearing a distant answer, he goes in search, lost in thought. He's not sure how they're going to buy the house, they haven't exchanged nearly enough Galleons. Just as he's about to give up looking, he spots Draco outside leaning against the car with a large grin on his face. "Good news?"
Draco nods. "Brilliant news. I put in an offer and Angela is very confident we'll be accepted and living here within the week."
"A week?" Harry asks, shocked. He honestly expected it to be longer. The place is empty so they have to rush to get any furniture. Harry tries not to blush when he makes a mental note to get a bed first. A big bed. It's only natural to want a comfortable place to sleep, of course.
Draco nods. "Yes, I sort of made the offer cash." He says quickly and steps back a bit, just in case and puzzles at Harry's amused expression. He was sure Harry would rant about spending all that money.
"What did you offer?"
"Erm, three hundred fifty."
"Three hundred fifty? Thousand?" Ah, there's the rant, Draco smirks. "Is that too much? Draco, I don't even know what the exchange is or if I even have that much! Did you find out how we're going to exchange Galleons, in Gringott's, to American Muggle money?"
Draco scoffs and waves a hand. "Please, Potter. I can't imagine the exchange will bankrupt millions of Galleons. The listing was around four hundred, so it's not too much. And yes, I did find out. We need to get an owl and finalize all the papers so we can transfer everything to some American wizarding bank. They'll gladly exchange it, I assure you. Oh, and I already phoned to get the fireplace connected to the floo network." He smirks at Harry's shocked expression. He had called the moment he hung up with Angela.
Harry hadn't even noticed the house had a fireplace. He scowls back at the huge white house; the damn fireplace is probably massive and made of marble or something else elegantly extreme. "Quite sure we'd get the place, hmm?" he mutters, leveling a look Draco.
Draco just shrugs and waves a hand over the property. "Of course. It's perfect." He pointedly looks to the dense forest a few yards from the house for a moment. "Not to mention plenty of room should we have visitors." From the frosty tone and slight sneer, Harry knows he isn't referring to the werewolves.
Harry sighs, and resists rolling his eyes. Hermione is really the only other person he talks to anymore and he's sure she won't come around the world to visit any time soon. "I highly doubt anyone will be visiting. Oh! Maybe Teddy." He pulls the parchment from his pocket and hands it to Draco, waiting while he reads it before continuing. "We've got an owl now. And it's handy we're connecting the fireplace. I want to get in touch with Andromeda as soon as I can. Is it OK if Teddy visits?" he asks, biting his lip.
"Of course," Draco says immediately, nodding absently, still reading, "He's your godson and my cousin... or something," he waves a hand, absently. "Though, if we had a house elf I won't have to demand he only stay in his room."
Harry snorts. "Nice try, but no. I'm not interested in Kreature coming anywhere near me and we're really not in any position to be having house elves about anyway. This whole area is Muggle."
"Fine, Potter," Draco sighs dramatically and hands the letter back to Harry. "Ask Miss-Know-It-All if she knows any good household charms." At Harry's shocked expression he points a finger at him, poking him lightly in the chest. "Well, I never learned any and you always did things the Muggle way. I'm certainly not cleaning this thing without magic," he says with a jerk of his head at the house behind them.
He turns on his heel and makes his way to the car, sliding in behind the driver's side. "Shake it! We're due to meet Angela to sign the papers for the house!" Draco hollers out the window when Harry continues to stand looking at the large white house.
~oOo~
Harry can't remember ever being so bored. Who enjoys looking at money? They had finally found the American wizarding bank, also run by goblins (somehow even more foul tempered), and easily got their accounts changed over from Gringott's and an obscene amount of Galleons exchanged into Muggle American money.
He pockets a charmed leather wallet and a velvet bag; both connected to his account so he didn't have to visit the bank whenever he wanted money. He fingers an odd plastic card, the thin plastic apparently was more useful and accepted in Muggle devices. Even after shrinking everything and shoving it as far into his pocket as he could, he feels uncomfortable walking around with that much money.
Draco is driving them back to the bed and breakfast, his eyes bright as he talks about the house.
"And really, how cool would it be to walk in there with all that money in a silver suitcase? I'd love to see their faces! Just walk in, place it on the table and click that sucker open and watch their faces get all shocked and greedy." Draco laughs (well more like cackles like a cartoon villain) at the prospect and Harry finds himself smiling.
Draco probably doesn't even realize his posh words are peppered with American slang and he's sounding suspiciously like Seth when he's excited. They had gotten through quite a few Muggle movies during their stay, as well. Draco being especially drawn to anything with explosions or shady characters. 'Those bright kid movies' as Draco calls the cartoon movies are another favorite. Most tend to be fantastical and Harry is reminded of the wizarding world and is curiously surprised he doesn't feel a pang of regret or homesickness.
As they near the bed and breakfast, he glances at the clock on the dashboard. "Hey, just head to Beth's. The guys will be there in five minutes."
Draco nods, his cheeks pink, and Harry hides a smirk. He's still surprised at how much Draco allows his feelings about (for?) Joe to show. He hasn't seen Draco blush, or smile, so much in his memory of knowing Draco. He only has to mention Joe and Draco gets all pink and flustered.
They head into the diner, Harry sees three dark heads and smiles. Seth has been harassing the others for leaving him behind so often. Now, at least once a week, Seth comes with them when they all go to eat. Jake didn't say, but Harry is pretty sure he finds it awkward to be close to him with Seth around, even though Seth never bats an eye or makes a comment about it.
As they're all waiting for their food, Seth looks between Harry and Draco. "How come you guys always eat out? How come you don't cook?" Not that he can blame them. Seth hates to cook, he only tried once and it wasn't even edible. He had tried and he hadn't been able to get the taste out of his mouth for days. Stupid hyper wolf senses.
"Well the kitchen in our room can barely make toast let alone real food," Harry says with a chuckle. "There isn't a stove, just a little hotplate thing and I think there might be a pan lurking under the sink the size of a small mug," he says with a shrug. They haven't even bothered to find a place for decent take-away since they've arrived, happy to just come to Beth's. The menu is varied enough, he hasn't feel the need to expand yet.
Seth makes an understanding noise before he turns to Jake, "Why not go to your house then?" He doesn't bother asking Joe; his dad is a total dick and doesn't like any of the guys coming over, not caring they're pack. "Your kitchen ain't tiny and I bet your dad is wondering why you ain't eating at home anymore."
Jake snorts his soda and gives Harry a sheepish smile. He hadn't been comfortable telling his dad about everything yet and he doesn't want Harry or Draco to visit until he has. Dropping that kinda shock on his dad at once would probably kill him. He hopes Harry can understand that, even if he feels like a giant wuss.
"I, uh, haven't told dad about... this." He generally avoids his dad these days; he makes him something to eat whenever he needs to and hides in the garage or spends time with Harry.
"Why not, man?" Seth asks, his normally happy face pinched into a frown. "You gotta tell him. He'll be cool about it," he assures, laying a comforting hand on Jake's arm, hoping it was manly and that Harry didn't punch him for touching Jake. The guy still scares him a bit when he gets pissed off and he never wants to give him a reason to point his wand at him after Jake told him a little bit of Harry's past. Thankfully, the wizard doesn't seem the possessive type and his touch isn't met with anything but an understanding smile.
Jake shakes his head but says, "Yeah, I know. Now I'm all freaked out because if he is cool about it, he'll be pissed I waited so long to tell him. You know how my dad is. All 'you can tell me anything, Jacob' and all that." Jake slumps his shoulders and leans into Harry when he feels his arm wrap around his waist.
"How about we all go there after we eat? Dad will be be up watching the game." He feels Harry nod and hears everyone else agree. "Just, uh, how about you guys meet us there and wait outside a minute?" He feels Harry nod again and make a soft snorting laugh. "Hey, better safe than sorry, you know?" he says, chuckling weakly.
Seth grins and slaps Jake on the back of the head. "It's only your dad, man. Relax and don't make Harry feel like you're embarrassed."
"I'm not—!" Jake blinks. "No! It's not that at all. Harry, you know that's not it, right?" he asks in a rush. He's confused when Harry chuckles softly.
Harry runs a hand along Jake's arm, "Of course, Jake. I never thought it for a second," he says, and he really hadn't. If it weren't for Jake's vehemence and quick denial he probably would have worried over it... for a moment.
"Okay," Jake breathes. "It'll be cool. No problem," he says to himself as he finishes eating. Even when he's nervous he can still eat, so he's not about to let anything go to waste. He hears Harry snicker next to him and ignores him so he can focus on finishing the huge slice of cheesecake Beth forced on him. He forks some of the cherries onto Harry's plate, noting Harry's pleased grin or soft hums of pleasure as he sucks the fruit into his mouth. He forces himself not to watch, refusing to get turned-on at a very inconvenient moment.
They all finish and head out, Harry heads for Draco's car but pauses when he feels Jake's hand around his wrist.
"Come with me?" Jake asks, nodding his head at his car and Harry smiles and changes course.
Seth is practically bouncing in a circle around Draco and Joe as he follows them, chatting the whole way about some girl in his class he's convinced is in love with him, sliding in the backseat without waiting for an invitation.
Joe split off with Draco as soon as he saw Harry go with Jake. He didn't care; he loves spending any time he can with Draco, even if Seth is chattering away in the backseat like a toddler on crack and ruining any chance for one-on-one time.
Seth is still chattering away, not noticing when Draco scowls and pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. Why can't the little werewolf just run home? With a resigned sigh, Draco turns to Joe after they're all in and he starts the car. "Alright handsome, where we going?"
They slowly make their way to Jake's house, Harry lost in thought as he fingers the parchment in his pocket. Remus finally owled him but didn't have any information about the kind of werewolves Jake described to him.
A soft cough jerks Harry out of his thoughts and he gives Jake a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Remember my friend I told you about? The werewolf?" Jake nods. "Well, I finally heard from him and he's at a complete loss. He's never heard of the kind of werewolves you guys are. I was really hoping he'd have some answers, Jake." He huffs and stares out the window.
The only useful thing Remus said was about the sparks that Jake caused when he touched his wand. It didn't surprise Harry when it basically meant their magic was compatible. Jake isn't magical, not really, but he has some sort of natural magical energy going on. Remus could only guess about his Animagus theory; like Harry thought, they weren't wizards so they couldn't be Animagi, per se, but he was at a loss how else to explain it.
He looks back at Jake with a small smile. "Well, now you've just got one more reason to talk to your dad. You need to talk to the elders and figure some things out."
Jake nods and tries not to grimace. "Yeah. Even if they don't want to, I'm an Alpha, so..." he doesn't want to say he can make them do it, but he will if he's forced to. The elders aren't exactly controlled by the Alpha, but they still have to respect him.
"Have you seen any of the... Well, I guess old pack is the only way to say it?" Harry asks quietly.
"No," Jake growls. "And I don't want to. There's a good chance I'll just snap and attack Sam." He shrugs unapologetically when Harry blinks at him. "It's an Alpha thing. No matter what Sam thinks, I'm the stronger Alpha. He wouldn't really stand a chance." He might be bragging a little bit, the urge to impress hard to suppress, but he's not exaggerating.
Harry whistles and slides closer in his seat, resting his hand lightly on Jake's knee. "I gotta say, it's a turn on to hear you talk like that," he says lowly, snickering when Jake's leg twitches and his hand covers Harry's a moment later. "I know, I know. I'll be good. I don't want you crashing this thing." With a small squeeze, he lets go of Jake's knee but turns his hand so he can keep a hold of Jake's.
"Well, not to sound like some worried mum, but in that case you should stay away from him. I really don't know much about healing and I would hate to see you get hurt."
Jake glances sideways at Harry and wishes he could hug him right now. Harry's face is sad, almost lost in shadows and Jake just knows he's thinking of all the people he's seen injured or dead. All he can do is agree, so he does. "Alright. I never planned on seeking him out, you know. If I never see that asshole again, it'll be too soon. Same for the other guys. They just walked off with Sam, happy to leave me behind."
He kind of understood but he'd hoped at least Quil or Embry would've stuck by him, they'd been friends for as long as he could remember. Seth is the youngest, and often teased as the weakest and he had no problem standing up to Sam for Jake. He doesn't realize he's squeezing Harry's hand in his own, lost in his anger, until he feels Harry squeeze back. Hard.
"Sorry," he murmurs, lifting their joined hands to kiss the reddened knuckles gently. "I was just thinking and as you can see, it still pisses me off. I just—Ugh! Useless," he mutters, huffing.
Harry sits higher in his seat, feeling a perfect opportunity to share something with Jake. He swallows a few times, unsure how Jake will react. "What exactly did he mean by that? You aren't useless, Jake." He doesn't add 'I can think of many uses for you'. Jake doesn't need to be distracted right now.
"Well, he meant that I can't have kids. Add to the pack, you know? Since I imprinted on a guy, which I'm totally cool with," Jake quickly adds, kissing Harry's hand again, making him chuckle. "I obviously can't have kids. Which, I mean, isn't exactly true. I read that gay guys have kids all the time. I mean, it's with a surrogate, but still. I guess because it's not with a chick who can make super wolf babies, it doesn't count." Harry laughs, thoroughly amused at Jake's wording. "So, yeah. That's what he meant."
"Jake," Harry starts before taking a deep breath. Merlin, this is going to be awkward, if Jake even believes him. Jake peeks over at him but keeps quiet, sensing something serious and not wanting to interrupt. "What would you say if I told you that isn't true?"
Jake frowns and gives Harry another sideways glance. "If what isn't true?"
"That you couldn't have kids. With your imprint."
Jake turns to give Harry a quick but startled look. "But you're my imprint, so..." he trails off, his eyes going wide and he darts another look at Harry. "Are you trying to tell me dudes, well wizards, can have kids?" he blurts out after a few moment thought.
It sorta made sense... if a guy can have a baby? Where does it grow? How many can they have? Was it a one time thing? Or, fuck; how does it get out? His mouth and throat won't work, he isn't asking anything any of the questions swirling around in his head; he's just making weird little choked, squeaking noises and trying to eat Harry's lips.
Harry pulls back with a breathless laugh. "Seriously," he says with a nod. "I will find out any answers you want," he promises and leans forward, placing a soft kiss on Jake's lips. "I guess that means you like the idea, yeah?"
Jake nods, his throat still not letting words out. He makes a noise that sounds kind of like "Guh!" and Harry grins before kissing him again. "Does it happen a lot? Guys having kids, I mean?" he finally manages after Harry's lips and tongue have worked some kind of magic to relax him.
"I don't know," Harry shrugs. "Even when I was there, I didn't pay much attention to the goings on of the wizarding world. I didn't grow up there and by the time I was there, I was kind of distracted. I'll ask Draco, yeah? If he doesn't know, maybe I can ask Remus." When Jake's face flushes, he laughs softly running a hand down Jake's arm. "Remus won't be too shocked and I think he'll be quite proud to meet you." He looks off a moment before his eyes light up. "Oh! And there's Teddy. My godson. He'll be five. I haven't been able to write them, but I hope he'll be visiting soon."
Jake smiles, his mind distracted with images of dancing naked with Harry during a full moon, as his thumb slides along Harry's bottom lip. "Sure sure. Sounds good." He glances behind him to the houses in the distance and he sighs, settling back in the driver's seat. "Any other surprises?" he asks, one side of his mouth up in a half-smile.
When Harry shakes his head with a snort, he eases back onto the road. Harry's eyes flick around to the houses lining the road. They're all small but well maintained and neat. The car slows and they're in front of a larger house and Harry can just make out a large detached garage just past the walkway.
"Well, here it is. Home sweet home," Jake mutters as he parks behind Draco's car and shuts off the car. "Okay. Uh, wait out here with Draco. I'll let you know if, uh, when you can come in. Okay?"
Harry nods and pulls Jake in close, placing a quick reassuring kiss on his lips. "Don't worry so much, it'll be fine." He smiles and runs a hand down Jake's chest softly.
Jake just smiles at him and nods once before he turns and heads into the house, his posture slumped and looking like a kicked puppy. Joe walks past to follow Jake, clapping Harry on the shoulder briefly as he passes.
Seth is sitting on the hood of Draco's car, his face serious. "His dad better not be an ass about this. Jake doesn't need that shit."
"Yeah," Harry agrees softly. Then he snorts, and shakes his head. "Seth, aren't you a little young to curse so much?"
Seth grins. "Fuck no," he says cheerfully and howls with laughter, his arms hugging himself for a moment as he enjoys his own joke. "But seriously. Nah. I only talk like this around the guys. My mom would kill me if she heard me saying half the shit I do. Leah—that's my sister— she's worse than me." He waggles his eyebrows at their shocked looks. "I know, hard to imagine right?"
Draco laughs. "Not really. I went to school with a kid that made up the most creative curses. I think 'fuck flap' was my favorite." He snorts at the memory even if he hadn't a clue what Seamus meant by it. "Er, not that you should repeat that. Or tell anyone where you heard it." Draco darts a nervous glance to the house, expecting some authority figure to burst out and hex him for his inappropriate language.
Seth is too busy howling with laughter again, muttering 'fuck flap' on occasion and going into a new fit of giggles every time he mutters it. His eyes are watering when he finally calms down. "I could definitely hang with that dude. Or bloke? That's what you guys say, right? Bloke?" At Draco's nod, Seth grins. "Bloke," he repeats.
Silence, and Seth's occasional snorting giggles, drops over the small group as they each take turns casting nervous glances at the house. There's a light on in what Harry assumes is the kitchen and the soft blue glow of a telly flickering is the only other light source. He's chewing on a thumbnail, worrying it down to the quick as he waits.
"Seth," he asks quietly, startling everyone with his voice after the dead silence. "It's a good sign it's so quiet, right? That means no yelling?" He glances at Draco, mouthing 'privacy charm?' and he breathes out a relived breath when Draco shakes his head 'no', glad they aren't hearing a false silence.
"Yeah. I think so," Seth says and looks thoughtfully at the house before he turns to Harry, "Billy, Jake's dad, isn't much for being quiet when he's all riled up. So, if he's not yelling it's either okay or really really bad. Like, we should go rescue Jake, kinda bad." Harry twitches and Seth just manages to move fast enough to clamp a hand over his elbow. "Calm down. He isn't going to hurt Jake. He's really not that kinda guy, I was only saying. Giving all the options," he says, his face almost cheerful in the gloom.
Harry relaxes but his hand slides to his wand anyway. He doesn't want to, but he'll hex anyone that tries to hurt Jake. Even his own father.
A muffled shout has Harry bolting into the house, a gaping Seth still sitting on the car to look after the now open front door in confused shock. He certainly wasn't fast enough that time. He quickly scrambles off the car, praying he doesn't walk into a blood bath and stops short as he steps into the kitchen door.
Jake is pinned against the wall with Harry standing in front of him, his wand drawn and pointed at a stunned Billy. Seth shudders at the dark, murderous look on Harry's face. Joe is similarly pinning Draco, but the blonde is fighting him, his wand somehow aimed steadily at Billy as well. Then everything goes eerily still.
"Uhh, s'up guys?" Seth asks, breaking the tense silence and he wants to smack himself when he hears his voice come out all squeaky.
Billy's gaze moves to Seth. "I have no idea. I was talking with Jacob and well, maybe I shouldn't have tried to hug him. He's a grown man, I know. He started yelling at me to stop, like it's some sort of crime for me to hug my boy and this one—" He slowly points a shaky hand at Harry. Seth looks and is relieved to see Harry has put away his wand and is relaxing his body, a sheepish look crawling onto his face. "Runs in, grabs Jake and points something at me."
Billy swallows thickly, he isn't all that worried about the stick (or maybe some sort of thin knife?) the kid pointed at him but the look in his eyes showed clear intent, and ability, to do serious damage.
Seth looks to Draco, the blonde is already calm and subtly pressed against Joe, who has wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist.
Billy starts when he follows his gaze and sees Draco and Joe. "I didn't even see you boys come in." He sends Harry a shrewd look before his face breaks into a smile and his hand raises off the armrest of his wheelchair. "So. You must be Harry." He grins when Harry's eyes widen a bit and he sends a questioning glance to Jake. "Yeah, he told me. All of it."
Harry shuffles the few feet closer and gently shakes Billy's hand, his other rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry about that. I thought..." he trails off, his eyes on the floor. "I thought Jake was in trouble." He can't help but feel like an utter bastard, pointing his wand at a Muggle. In a wheelchair. The man's calm acceptance is only making Harry feel worse.
Billy sits back in his chair, pursing his lips as he gives Harry a long measuring look. "Son, I ain't sure whether I should be proud that you're coming in here to help my boy or insulted you'd think I'd hurt my own son."
Harry shifts awkwardly, sending a pleading glance at Jake. "I'm sorry, sir," he repeats. "I didn't mean any disrespect, really." He huffs a breath out, frustrated no one else is helping. He looks at Billy again and is relieved the older man isn't looking at him with anything other than a bit of respect and, shockingly, a little affection. "I hate to say it, but I've known plenty of parents that've hurt their own kids. So, I didn't think about that part." He looks at Jake again. "I was really only thinking about making sure he was okay."
Billy's head tilts back and he laughs, his hands on his stomach. "Son, you've seen him, right?" he waves a still shaky hand in Jake's direction. "He can take care of himself." He sends a warm look at his son. "Of course, it never hurts having help."
Harry nods eagerly, "Yes, sir." He feels Jake move behind him and a warm, steady hand rests on the back of his neck, rubbing softly. He closes his eyes for a moment and sends Jake a miserable look. "I'm sorry I almost hexed your dad," he murmurs quietly when Jake presses closer. He feels Jake chuckle and rest his chin on his shoulder as he slides a hand from his neck to his hip. He elbows him softly in the stomach. "It's not funny, Jake. I was a breath away from it when Seth came in," he admits and swallows heavily, not willing to add that it would've been a painful one.
"Is this a normal imprint thing?" Harry asks, turning his head just enough to look at Jake.
"What? Super protectiveness?" Harry nods, ignoring the 'super' part. He just knows Jake is imagining him in ridiculous tights and a cape right now. "I would say so. I mean, I've only met two other couples like this and the chicks, uh, I mean imprintees," he corrects hastily when Harry glares at him, "can be pretty vicious when they felt their man was threatened."
He squeezes the arm around Harry. "I think it's going to be worse for you since you already do that sorta thing," he says and grins, ignoring Harry's indignant scoff. "For future reference you can't hex my dad, Joe or Seth. Well, you can hex Seth if he's being annoying." He laughs when he remembers when Harry had him hoisted in the air by an ankle and giggling madly for a solid minute. "Anyone else, they deserve it if they cross you. Or me."
A loud throat clearing noise attracts their attention and both of them flush when they see Billy looking at them. Jake carefully disentangles himself from Harry, and steps back, giving him one last squeeze before he lets go but takes his hand and leads him to the table. At some point his dad has made coffee, so he hands Harry a mug and perches on the counter. Draco is carefully blowing on his and taking small sips, his grey eyes darting around the room. Joe has one foot perched on the wall behind him, his arms folded as he looks around the room; his attention mostly on Draco.
Harry takes a large gulp of his coffee and licks a stray drop from his lip. "Jake, did you get a chance to ask your dad anything before I broke in here like a madman?"
"Yeah," Billy chuckles and nods. "He was asking some things but I don't have any answers for you boys. He said you were some sort of magician?" he asks, his eyebrow raised and a smile twitching on his lips.
Harry smiles and shakes his head, "No, wizard." He arches a brow at Jake, he didn't think Jake would tell his dad that much about him. "I do magic, but not like you see at birthday parties or on the telly," he explains after a moment, unsure how without taking his wand out and waving it about. He smiles again, hoping he didn't come off as condescending. He'd already insulted Jake's dad enough for one night, thankyouverymuch.
"I see," Billy nods thoughtfully, sipping his coffee. "I guess that explains that stick you were waving at me," he says, nodding at Harry's pocket. "I won't be a jackass and try to make you prove it. Jacob believes you, so I'm sold." Harry nods once in thanks. "Besides, it's not like I'm not used to the supernatural. My son and his friends turn into wolves, for Christ's sake."
He laughs again before he shakes his head once and drains his mug of coffee. "Well, you boys should come over for supper one night. Maybe I'll see Jacob around more often," he gives Jake a shrewd look before breaking out in a grin. "Just bring the groceries on occasion and you can visit as often as you'd like. Oh, and beer. I can't promise to always be a welcoming host if you aren't carrying beer with you." With that, Billy bids them all a good night and wheels out of the room.
"Holy shit!" Seth exclaims in a whispered yell once he hears Billy's bedroom door close. "I thought there was going to be some major fighting when I walked in." He's practically hopping on the balls of his feet for a minute before he hops onto the counter. "Harry, man, I repeat: you are one scary bloke." He grins. "Thanks for not turning Billy into a rat or blowing his balls off."
Harry chuckles. "I've never thought to removing someone bullocks before," he rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I've heard it threatened enough, though." Draco laughs and he wonders if the blonde knows a hex or two that'll do something nasty to one's bits. He resists the urge to protectively cup himself at the thought. He passes a slightly shaky hand through his already messy hair. "I can't believe I did that, though." He gives Jake another apologetic look, still feeling like a massive arse for his behavior earlier.
Draco is the first to speak, "Harry, don't kill yourself about it. It was purely reflex. Billy is fine and I think he even respects you for it, for some fucked up reason." He crosses the small kitchen to place a hand on Harry's shoulder, "You're the only one not letting this go." Harry looks up and Draco isn't surprised to see anguish still swirling in his eyes. "I can berate you all night, if needs must," he finally offers and smirks when Harry shakes his head with a snort. "Right. All is well." He nods briskly and returns to stand next to Joe, immediately relaxing against his side.
Seth jumps off the counter. "Well, didn't I say Billy would be cool?" He grins and everyone rolls their eyes and groans at him.
~oOo~
"You told him that?" Draco blinks at Harry a moment when they're left alone in the kitchen. "Well, what did he say?"
Harry pauses to think. "Well, he kept making sure it was true. Then he said 'guh!' So. A positive reaction, yeah?"
Draco smirks and raises a hand, to stop Harry from telling more. He recognizes that glazed look in those green eyes that always precedes kissing or some other debauched activities. "Sure. I'll send Mortimer with a note to Mother, have her send the book I read about it in. Are you really going to do something like that, though?" he asks, curious.
He's already sure of the answer. Harry's always wanted a family and the poor bastard deserves one now that no one is out to kill him at every turn or on each holiday. He's surprised when Harry only shrugs, idly toying with the hem of his t-shirt.
"I don't really know. I mean, of course I do but I pretty much gave up the idea of having my own family when I knew I fancied blokes," Harry explains. He doesn't have to mention the loss of the Weasleys was especially hard because of that. A family of his own seems too good to be true.
Draco may not have liked the red haired oafs, but he used to at least respect them for adopting Harry. Once they as good as turned their back on them, he had to use for them. He snorts and waves a hand in the air, "You're still an idiot, Potter." He ignores the glare Harry sends him. "Being gay doesn't mean giving up on having kids. Merlin, what the fuck did those Muggles teach you?" he mutters under his breath, and wants to wince at his callous question knowing they barely taught him a damn thing.
"Well, now you know. So, use this knowledge wisely," he says importantly and gets up, looking for the telly remote. "I'll let you know the moment Mother sends the book so don't gnaw your thumb off," he says with a smirk and mutters a short 'aha!' when he finally finds the remote wedged in the sofa cushion. "I wish I could just use my wand," he mutters, squinting at the small buttons on the remote. Jake might have a bigger telly and the remote is bigger but all the buttons are annoyingly small. He just ends up pressing random buttons, making a pleased sound when the channel finally changes.
Harry absently watches Draco glare at the telly, his own thoughts muddled and centered on Jake. He gets up with a soft sigh and joins Draco watching the telly; hopefully something mindless will help him gather his thoughts.