Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

A/N: I posted two new one-shots recently called 'Sexy Slytherins' and 'The Journey After' so if you haven't checked them out already you should. They can be found in my profile and as always, please review.

Chapter Ten

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There's nothing you can't do,
Now you're in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
the lights will inspire you,
let's hear it for New York, New York, New York

- Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys

Since Harry and Draco returned to school Draco was more focused on the play, sometimes staying late to practice with Blaise and Pansy or just alone. Harry felt that they practiced enough in class and was thankful that Lavender hadn't asked him to practice alone, although he felt that the girl still had a strong dislike for him.

February was soon approaching meaning their upcoming trip to New York was soon. Harry wasn't sure if Draco was more excited about it than himself, but he let his boyfriend do all the preparations for it.

"Have you asked your mum about the flat you all have there?" Harry asked one bitterly cold day as they drove back to Harry's house.

"She knows I'm going and I did ask her about it. She wants us to have dinner this Friday and wants you to come along."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and Draco turned his head slightly to see Harry's reaction.

"I told her I wasn't sure if you'd agree since, well, you know."

There was no need to talk about Thanksgiving and Harry knew that the disastrous meeting with Draco's parents had put strain on the Malfoy family. His father had yet to come home and Draco hadn't spoken to him since.

"She's not going to come after me is she? Go all animalistic on me?"

Draco glared at Harry and rolled his eyes. "Hardly. It's my mother, Harry. And please refrain from using the word animalistic when talking about my mother. It's not a picture I wish to see in my mind."

Harry didn't want to picture that in his mind either so he quickly dismissed the thought, although picturing Draco in the compromising position they were in yesterday was a different story.

"Alright," Harry said with a sigh. "I'll go, but if I don't come out in one piece you and I will be having a long talk."

Draco smiled and shot him a grateful look.

"Really," Draco said after a moment of driving in silence. "The first meeting between you two was awful, but I think it was due to shock. My mother knows now and hasn't done anything to stop me from seeing you. She's more like a fragile polar bear if you think of it. All cold looking, but really not so bad."

Green eyes widened and Harry turned his head to look out the window. He was pretty sure that telling Draco that polar bears were anything but fragile and in fact liked to maul other things wasn't a good idea.

Thankfully this time they were dining out and Harry wasn't forced to suffer in the quiet dining room of the Malfoy house. At least in a restaurant there was noise and distractions in case things became too awkward and uncomfortable.

Draco had come over beforehand and helped pick out his clothes, a simple white dress shirt, forest green tie, and black pants. It was simple and appropriate for the restaurant in which Draco explained that his mother loved dining out at fancy places. It was no surprise to Harry.

When they got Sirius' approval they left, making their way to the main part of town. Harry was nervous the entire ride over, worrying if this dinner would be as dreadful as the last. Even with Draco's reassurances he was uneasy.

They entered the restaurant, Draco spotting his mother easily. Harry had to admit that the woman was pretty. She was pale and her light blonde hair was pulled up, the large blue diamond necklace on her neck complimenting her navy blue dress.

"Draco, darling," she said, standing to greet her son. She kissed his cheek and pulled away, her hands still on his arms. "You look handsome."

"Thank you mother. You remember Harry, don't you?"

Harry offered a smile, hoping that the woman couldn't see right through him. Her smile thinned slightly, but it remained in place.

"Of course. Harry."

"Mrs. Malfoy."

They all sat down, a waiter coming quickly after and taking their drink orders.

"How is school?" she asked.

"It's fine. We've been preparing some more for the school play, haven't we, Harry?"

"Yes," Harry replied with a nod.

Harry hated this small talk, especially since it was so formal and he hadn't seen Draco like this in a long time. He was so used to the Draco he knew, the one that talked and loved with passion, a fire within him, and when he was with his parents it vanished.

The small talk continued even after they ordered and their dinner was served. It was only once they were halfway through that Draco brought up the topic of New York.

"Mother, as you know Harry and I are going to New York this month. I was wondering if we could stay in the apartment there since you said father will be in the city the rest of the month."

Narcissa set her fork down and leaned back in her seat, staring at Harry. He squirmed under her scrutiny, trying not to shift in his seat as her blue eyes gazed at him.

"Tell me about yourself, Harry."

Harry glanced at Draco, not quite sure what to make of the rapid shift in conversation. Draco gave him an almost imperceptible shrug of his shoulders and Harry looked at her, beginning to tell Draco's mother about where he was from, why he was living with Sirius, and their move here.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your parents," she said when he finished.

His eyes widened slightly in shock and gave a nod. "Thank you."

"You've been good to Draco."

It wasn't a question, but rather a statement. He felt Draco's hand settle on his thigh and give a squeeze.

"Well I love Draco very much."

If Narcissa was surprised at this she didn't show it, but she did smile.

"Yes, I realize that and I know Draco cares for you just as much."

He looked at Draco whose eyes were watery from the acceptance that his mother was showing them.

"Mother," he began, but was interrupted.

"I'll make sure the apartment is cleaned before you arrive." With that Narcissa picked up the menu and began to flip through the pages. "Now how about dessert?"

Both Harry and Draco picked up their own menus, Harry biting his lip to try and keep a smile off of his face even though he wanted to kiss Draco, knowing that his mother was giving her blessing in her own way.

He knew there would be time to celebrate later.

"I heard you had dinner with Draco and his mother," Hermione stated at lunch the following Monday after having dinner with Mrs. Malfoy.

"Yeah. It went much better than Thanksgiving amazingly. It was awkward at first until Draco finally brought up New York and then she actually asked about me. I think she accepted me in her own weird way." Harry shrugged. "The good news is we have a free place to stay at when we go up there."

"That's awesome," commented Ron before taking a bite of his sandwich, a large portion falling off and making a plop sound. Hermione scowled and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Well Potter. Making headlines again are you?"

Harry looked up to see Blaise, Pansy, and Draco approaching, each giving a nod to Ron and Hermione both of whom returned it.

"Hey," greeted Harry to his boyfriend, pecking his lips before turning to Pansy who had a bottle of royal purple nail polish out.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"The paper. Dinner. With the Narcissa Malfoy. You were spotted and paparazzied."

"I think you just made up a word," said Draco, but the girl ignored him, not once looking up from her nails.

"Here," said Blaise, handing Harry a paper. "It's just a photo with a caption really."

Harry unfolded the paper, Draco leaning in to him to see.

Inside there was a photo of the three after dinner, walking out of the restaurant and the headline read WELCOME TO THE FAMILY?

Harry snorted at this and continued to read the caption below the photo.

Narcissa Malfoy and son Draco were spotted Friday evening dining out with the Malfoy heir's boyfriend, Harry Potter. Are the Malfoys welcoming Potter to their prestigious family? Lucius Malfoy has not been spotted in town since Thanksgiving, giving cause to wonder what has kept the infamous lawyer to be away for so long.

"This town really needs a new celebrity," Draco muttered, pushing the paper back across the table to Blaise.

"Just think of it this way," said Pansy. She blew on her nails before dark brown eyes glanced up at them. "This is the start of you becoming a star."

"A tabloid star," sneered Draco with distaste. "That's not the fame I'm looking for."

"Well," Blaise said, tucking the paper into his backpack. "Good thing you two are going to New York then, eh?"

At this Draco smiled and grasped Harry's hand under the table, the raven haired boy squeezing it. Neither could wait for the upcoming week to pass and they were finally on the plane to the city that never sleeps.

Harry stared out of the tinted windows and looked up, the lights of Times Square flashing, even during the day, as people bustled about and taxis honked their horns.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Draco murmured, leaning over to look outside too.

The plane ride was only a few hours long and Harry had fallen asleep so it went by quickly. When they arrived at the airport they had a driver that Draco's mother had arranged pick them up and who could chauffeur them around the city wherever they wanted to.

The driver dropped them off in front of a fancy apartment building where the door was opened for them and a chandelier hung in the foyer. When they actually entered the apartment Harry's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

There was a small hallway that led to the living room area where two of the walls were glass that overlooked the city. The living room led to an open kitchen that wasn't too big, but it had all the latest stainless steel appliances. Draco led him into one of the bedrooms where they would be staying.

"And to think," said Draco as he dropped his bag on the floor. "This will be the first time we've spent the night together in the same bed."

Just at the thought Harry felt himself harden, knowing that they wouldn't have to worry about Sirius coming home or getting caught by anyone.

They both grinned and Draco leaned over to kiss him.

The blonde pulled away somewhat breathlessly, his cheeks flushed and lips a rosy pink. "How about we go explore New York?"

The first thing Harry and Draco did was eat at one of the restaurants that Narcissa recommended to them. It was fancy, which wasn't exactly up Harry's alley, but he figured one fancy dinner in the Big Apple couldn't hurt. Not to mention Draco looked damn sexy and he was all Harry's.

After dinner they walked down the streets hand in hand, thankful that for once nobody batted an eye at seeing two gay teenagers together whereas in their town people would stop, stare, and whisper at the sight.

They meandered through Times Square when it was lit up at night and Harry took several photos of Draco posing in front of the lights and signs.

"Let me take one of you! You're going to have all these pictures of me, but none with you in them."

"There's a reason I like taking photos and you like being in them," Harry told him as people passed around them, other tourists stopping to snap photographs as well.

"I insist," Draco stated haughtily and he grabbed the camera from Harry's hands. "Smile!"

Harry's lips tugged upwards at the sight of Draco so happy, himself content in the knowledge that they were here in this beautiful city together.

"Mother never let me have one. She said it was too pedestrian."

Harry rolled his eyes, not surprised at this fact while Draco eyed the hot dog stand disdainfully.

"Street food will not kill you, Draco. Isn't this something you are supposed to do here? Eat a hot dog from a street vendor?"

"You're supposed to visit Chinatown too and buy knockoff designer wear, but you don't see me doing that do you?" the blonde sniped snobbishly.

Harry stepped up to the vendor, ignoring his boyfriend's protestations for the moment. "We'll have two."

Once he paid he handed Draco the hot dog, the blonde eyeing it warily as if it was contaminated with salmonella. Harry took a large bite for show and Draco just stared.

"See? It's good and I'm not going to die. Now let's walk. Didn't you say you wanted me to see Central Park?"

Draco sighed before taking a tentative bite, chewing slowly.

"I guess it's not bad."

Harry hid his smile as they began to walk towards the park, finishing their hot dogs and then linking their hands together.

It was still extremely cold out and the clouds overhead were gray as if it could snow at any moment, but there were still quite a few people out and about in the park running, pushing strollers, couples walking together, even a school group of children passing by chattily.

"This is pretty," Harry commented when they stopped before a pond, leaning against the railing around it.

"Mhmm. My mother and I came here every time we were in New York."

"Didn't your dad ever come with you guys? I imagine he must do some work here since you all have an apartment."

Harry wasn't sure if it was wise to bring up Draco's father and he hoped the subject wouldn't bring down their high so far from the trip.

"I've only been here three times and he was here once, but I think I was around six or seven at the time. We didn't have the apartment then. He recently bought it within the past year because he's been working up here more frequently, but not at the moment."

"It must be hard for your parents, being away so often from each other."

Draco shrugged, looking out towards the water as he spoke.

"Both of my parents worked a lot when I was younger, my mother with the real estate and my father with the agency he was originally part of. He wasn't famous back then, just a lawyer in the city. I always had a nanny growing up and then as I got older they both started to work even more. I suppose they thought I was old enough to handle things myself, to not need them."

Harry moved closer to Draco so that their arms were touching. "I think we always need that adult figure that we can look up to."

"Yes, well, my parents think I'm old enough. You're lucky to have Sirius."

An arm was wrapped around Draco and Harry pulled his boyfriend to him closely so that they were facing one another.

"You have him too, Draco. Always know that."

The blonde turned his head, a half smile on his face for show. "Let's keep walking, shall we?" he said.

Harry nodded, not saying anything more about Draco's family.

The following day they went sightseeing to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and were now preparing to see Jersey Boys on Broadway.

"What if we see someone famous?" Draco asked as they walked down the lit streets, people passing by them.

"Then you might die from shock and I'd be forever without you which would be terrible."

Draco nudged him and Harry grinned, his boyfriend continuing to ramble about Broadway and the city.

"I'm moving here no matter what my parents tell me," Draco said with assurance. "I'll work at some coffee shop while running to auditions all day if I have to. Even if I have to live in a crummy apartment and survive off of street hot dogs I'll do it."

Harry laughed, both of them stopping at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. "I'm sure you won't have to do that and your mother seems to be more accepting. Maybe they'll even let you move in to the apartment."

Draco said nothing further about his future situation concerning his family except for 'maybe.'

"And what do you want to do Harry? You've never really told me."

Harry shrugged. The light changed, indicating that they could walk and they crossed the street along with several other pedestrians.

"I dunno really. We still have all of next year, but I suppose over the summer I should start thinking about what I want to do, shouldn't I?"

They approached the street, the signs hanging on the buildings illuminating everything. It was quite breathtaking really, the lights, the people, the city itself. It was fascinating and Harry could see why Draco was so drawn to the place.

"Do you still see us together?" Draco asked, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to turn and ask Harry, his face coolly composed, but traces of worry could be seen in his face.

Harry knew that being with Draco meant moving here, to New York. Could he see himself living in this huge city with millions of people? And like Draco said, how would they support themselves financially if he planned to go to school while Draco was busy trying out for auditions? He knew Sirius would support him no matter what and could perhaps send them a little money, but New York was expensive.

He also knew that he wouldn't want to be without Draco and he would go to school and work countless hours just to be with him. It might be rough in the beginning, but they could do it. Not to mention the city was accepting, a melting pot, everything their town back home wasn't. There would be no photos of them in the paper trying to pry into their private lives, unless of course, Draco did become famous, but that was something to worry about in the future.

"Of course I do," Harry told him softly, resting his palm on Draco's cheek. "There's no place else I'd rather be."

Draco leaned up and kissed Harry before pulling away, a smile on his face.

"Should we go to the show now? I think they're probably letting people go to their seats by this time."

"Yeah."

Harry smiled, wrapping his arm around Draco's shoulders. Yes, he would follow Draco wherever he wanted to go, especially to New York.