A/N: To anyone to has actually noticed/cares/is still following this story I'm sorry it has taken this long to update! I have been totally lacking motivation! You know what helps motivate me though? Reviews! ;)
"Would you like to come shopping with me, Harry?" Ginny asked him down in the kitchen the next morning.
"Um, alright I 'spose," he responded, looking at her with a puzzled expression and added, "can Draco come too?"
"Yeah, alright, I guess," she stuck her tongue out at him and shoved him a little playfully.
"What brought all this on?" he asked her as he set three steaming plates of bacon and eggs on the table. Ginny had appeared at their door about twenty minutes earlier dressed in a cute pink top and some nice looking muggle jeans with a cheery smile on her face. She didn't announce the reason for her random appearance, just asked to come in, followed Harry into the kitchen catching sight of some green plaid boxers running up the stairs and helped him finish making breakfast all the while still not telling him why she was there.
"Well, I decided to get back on my feet, so to speak. I decided I don't care about Ian, I couldn't have been happy with him anyway if he is apparently such a jerk, and when I took too long to answer the Appleby Arrows, thinking about how awkward it would be, I received a letter telling me it was past the offer date and they had to continue on their search. Well I guess Puddlemere United caught wind that I'd declined and offered me an even better offer should tryouts be a success!" she grinned at Harry, looking as though she had been waiting to say this all morning.
"Congratulations!" A voice from the doorway told her. It was Draco, who was now in a formal looking black suit, including a black dress shirt and silver tie. His hair was styled, though not slicked back like he had worn it in his Hogwarts days, styled more like a very sexy model, Harry thought. He offered his boyfriend a smile as he checked him out, then gestured to his place at the table beside him with his still hot breakfast waiting for him, Draco took his seat.
"Where'd you go?" Harry asked him. Draco gestured to himself as a whole, in a way that said 'this doesn't just happen'.
"To change into more suitable clothes for company, I'd rather not show off my knickers thank you." Harry laughed at this and reached over to squeeze Draco's hand. Ginny noticed it and smiled and continued to answer Harry's question.
"Anyway, so I figured it's a good reason to pick myself up in every area, new career prospect, new Ginny. I figured it deserved some new clothes, I asked Hermione but well… you know Hermione, so that didn't work out. She hates shopping. So I figured what good is it having a close gay friend if I can't go shopping with him?"
Draco who had been pretty taciturn with Harry's Gryffindor friends up to this point, surprised Harry by latching onto the idea at once.
"Oh my god! Can I help? What kind of budget are we working with? Can I give you my advice on colour and style?"
Harry and Ginny both sat there with stunned looks on their faces. They knew Draco had the "well-dressed" factor of a gay man and everything, but it also came from his upbringing in the rich old pureblood family. Harry had also seen a bit of his flamboyance when he was talking with the French girls at the ball but nothing could have prepared him for that outburst, and poor Ginny hadn't seen that side of him at all.
It felt like it could have been a whole minute that Harry watched her look at Draco completely stunned with huge wide eyed and a funny slacked mouthed expression. Then she burst out laughing. Draco furrowed his brows and looked almost annoyed.
"Um? Are you accepting my offer or should I go upstairs and make some plans for the day?" Ginny cleared her throat and tried to compose herself and put on a straight face.
"Yes, yes I would love that."
"Good, because as much as Harry loves to kiss men, his fashion sense is atrocious," he told her, smirking at Harry, and then she burst into another fit of giggles with Draco joining her this time.
"Glad you two could bond over my short comings," he told them grimly, they stopped for a second and just continued giggling when he finished speaking.
Harry felt like he was the third wheel as he tagged along while Ginny and Draco checked out a myriad of clothing shops, helping carry bags as requested and was therefore thankful for the distraction when he ran into the minister on their way to lunch.
"Good Afternoon Ms. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy," he told his company before turning on him, "Harry! I was really hoping I could see you today, I was going to send an owl to your house but this is much more convenient!" he told him genially.
"What is it sir?"
"Please," Kinglsey rolled his eyes a little, "Kingsley will do. Why don't you come and have a bite with me."
Harry glanced at his companions who waved their hand at him, "go on, go ahead, we'll meet up with you when you're done?"
"Yeah sure, where will I find you two?"
"The burrow!" Ginny answered before Draco could. He raised his eyebrow at Harry who just shrugged, offered him a peck on the cheek and squeezed his hand before motioning to the minister to lead the way.
Kingsley took him to a high end restaurant on the Northwest end of Diagon Alley, the carpets were a wine red colour, the tables had silky black table clothes with crystal vases full of fresh beautiful flowers on each table, some Harry recognised as Orchids from his time spent on Petunia's garden, others filled with classic red roses. The host who had greeted them at the door, a handsome brunette wizard wearing a nice set of black dress robes lead them past all these tables toward the back of the restaurant. They finally stopped at the back wall where, as the host waved a silver card over a portrait of an ice fairy, a door handle appeared in front of them. He held the door open to allow Harry and Kingsley to pass through and bent into a courteous bow as they went in, then closed the door behind them.
The room they walked into was much bigger than Harry expected. Instead of a private room with a dining table, what Harry found was about a dozen rows of seats set up in front of a small stage.
"Oh no," Harry started to go pale.
"Relax Harry," Kingsley put a calming hand on Harry's shoulder. "You're just a spectator today." Harry raised his eyes at him in response.
"When am I ever just a spectator?"
"We'll sit in the back come on, besides this isn't even what I want you here for most. When that man you see sitting on the end of the row on stage," Kingsley pointed inconspicuously at a rather large man in extremely dark purple, almost black dress robes with a wispy grey moustache, "when he leaves the stage," Kingley paused to smile and applaud as appropriate to what was happening on stage. "I want you to follow him into the back," Harry gave him a funny look. Did he pull him away from his friends to do auror work on his day off? That didn't sound like Kingsley, he was always trying to get Harry to take more time off.
"He's expecting you don't worry." Kingsley waved away Harry's suspicions. "It's somebody I would like you to meet. I'll be in after the ceremony."
"And now I'd like to call up Remington Pyralis, the Head Researcher of St. Mungo's to say a few words about the Sick Kid's foundation." There was a smattering of applause at the man Kingsley had pointed out raised from his seat and ambled over to the front of the stage.
"Good Afternoon everyone. I'm going to try to keep this brief as I'm sure you all have busy days to get back to. I really just wanted to thank everyone for such a successful event. A big thank you to Proudfoot and his team, they put the whole event together and it was a superb turn out. They of course aren't here right now but undoubtedly hard at work in the office and out in the field right now, but if someone can pass along my gratitude to them that would be fantastic. It was a huge success and I am very proud to say that we raised over 1400 galleons in just one night folks, that is outstanding! These proceeds are going to be going to be used for Project Memory, a new project that has been in the works but needed more funding. And now I'd like to call forward the Lead Researcher of –"Harry started to slowly and inconspicuously get to his feet as he heard this, ready to follow him into the back, " this project to tell you all a bit more, please give a warm welcome to Amanda Whistler". Harry quietly rushed along the aisle next to the chair along the right wall and in through the white painted wood door that the dark purple robes were disappearing behind. The closing door silenced the sound of applause and Harry found himself inside a small chamber, the walls lined with portraits and a large fire roaring in the grate.
A/N: The story is about to pick up ;) Hope you all liked, it please review! :)
Questions, Suggestions, Comments, Compliments and Constructive Criticisms always welcome!