I know, this story keeps getting put to the side. But I've been writing alot lately and hopefully I can put more energy into this soon.
WARNING: Gay relationship between Harry/Draco. It's more implied this time. Kisses and cuddles as usual.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. That's it.
Don't shoot me by the end of this! I'm working on the next chapter.
The next day Harry spent alot of time making sure he had every box and thing in his house in Ireland. Most of it he had shrunk down so that it all fit into one bag that he had enchanted so that it was bigger on the inside than on the outside. He put everything together into a rucksack and walked out the door for the last time. He went to his book shop next. Everything there had also been packed away in boxes. He thought for a moment about all the unpacking he would have had to do if Draco had told him to stay in Ireland. But then he smiled to himself as he thought of living close to Draco again. He shrunk down the boxes of books and put them away in another ruck sack. Once that was done he put both of them on his shoulders, closed his eyes, and apparated away to his new shop in London.
He arrived in the living room of his apartment above the shop. He put down both sacks and looked around in shock. Where the place had been dusty and dingy, the wooden floors now almost shone in the light from the open windows. Everything smelled of soap and wood polish. The cobwebs had been swept from the corners and dust was off every surface. Both sides of the windows had been scrubbed to within an inch of their lives. And he heard footsteps upstairs of someone moving around very quickly and the murmur of spells drifting down. He walked upstairs and saw Draco, sweaty and a bit dirty, quickly scurrying about waving his wand and brushes and brooms that he had enchanting sweeping and scrubbing the floors, the walls, and the windows.
"You're here!" Draco said turning around and seeing Harry still standing in the doorway from the stairs. Draco quickly kissed Harry on the cheek and continued scurrying about and saying, "Just give me a minute, I got a late start cleaning up in here. And you probably don't want to get too close to me, I'm dirty and smelly."
"But... what about your shop?"
"I told you that I've trained a few competent assistants. They're running the shop right now and they're going to send an owl if anything goes terribly wrong which knowing those two, I doubt that will happen." Harry caught Draco's wrist in his hand and tried to pull Draco towards him. Draco resisted slightly. "I told you. I'm dusty, dirty, and stinky. You don't want to get too close to me right now."
"So am I and I don't care," Harry replied. He pulled Draco towards him fast and caught him in his arms with a long passionate kiss. "Thank you," Harry said with a sigh as he pulled away.
"You know I'd do anything for you." Draco tucked a piece of Harry's hair behind his ear and kissed him on the cheek. "I haven't touched the shop yet, I figured you would want to be here for that part."
"Yes, we should cover the windows so no one sees us doing all the magic we are going to need to do."
"You go downstairs and do that, I'll finish up here." Harry nodded and kissed Draco on the cheek. He went back down the stairs and picked up the rucksack with all the boxes for the shop. He left the rucksack with all his things for the apartment in the living room. He would deal with those later. He went down the stairs and into the shop. It was early morning and the streets were practically empty. He got the butcher paper and the masking tape from the corner where he had put it. He got on a ladder and covered the windows with the paper. Once he was done with that he turned to the rest of the room. First he cast dusting spells on the shelves, then a mopping spell for the floor. He heard Draco coming down the stairs and called out,
"Be careful! The floor is being mopped!" Draco stopped on the bottom step and leaned against the wall of the stairwell. Harry was standing on one of the shorter book cases.
"You all ready have plans for where everything is supposed to go don't you?" Draco said looking up at him.
"Yeah, I figured the shorter shelves here could be for the children's books. Kids like them better. All these other shelves are for everything else." He turned around and looked at the other shelves. "Uh... fiction, mystery, romance-"
"Romance?"
"Don't knock 'em, they pay the bills."
"But some of them are just..."
"Trash, I know. But I know some great literature buffs who come in a pick up three or four trashy romance novels to read over the summer so they can read something that doesn't require them to think. These over here should all be non-fiction. That back room will be office and storage space. That back room should be where I keep the magical books."
"You intend on selling magical books still?"
"I've always kept a small selection. I'll order stuff for people who need it. In Ireland there wasn't a place like Diagon Ally. There were just little shops here and there that people told each other about."
"Not so in London."
"True. But who knows? I'll put the ones I've got in there. If they never get sold I'll just send them back." The mopping spell was soon done and the floors were sparkling. Draco saw Harry about to take the jump and yelled out,
"Harry the floor!" But Harry didn't pay attention and once his feet hit the wet floor they slipped out from under him and he fell backwards onto the small book case and hit his head hard on the wood before he fell to the floor. Draco slipped and slid but made his way quickly to Harry who was lying on the floor and rubbing the back of his head. Draco slid to the floor next to Harry and held his head.
"Are you ok?" he said in a worried tone. "I tried to tell you."
"I know, I know," said Harry rubbing his head and looking sheepish. "I just got impatient."
"You could have killed yourself you know!"
"Hey, it's ok. I'm ok."
"You could have injured yourself and gotten amnesia!"
"I'm fine Draco! Look at me!" Draco looked into Harry's eyes finally. "I just got a bump on the head. I'll be all right." Harry slowly stood and offered Draco a hand. Draco took it and the both of them sat on the smaller book case that Harry had been standing on. It was tall enough that their feet were dangling a few inches above the floor.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Draco said rubbing Harry's head gently but Harry still winced.
"I promise. I'm fine. If you're so worried then cast a spell and find out." Draco took out his wand and cast a spell to show him Harry's physical condition. Harry was right. It was just a bruise on the back of his head. "Satisfied?" Harry said turning to him and pushing Draco's wand away.
"I was just worried..." Draco stroked Harry's cheek and despite being irritated Harry naturally leaned into the touch.
"You don't have to," Harry said trying to reassuring. "I'm fine." Draco nodded. Harry looked up at the ceiling at the chandelier. "I think the chandelier is the next order of business."
"You may want to give up and call an electrician for that," Draco said looking up at it. "I can't help, I know nothing about electrics."
"I know two things: One, I shouldn't do it, and two, it could kill me if I tried. I can use some candles right now. I want to get all my boxes of books at least out of the bag tonight." Harry pulled the rucksack holding all the books towards him and opened it. He sighed heavily. "My entire inventory is in there."
"Well, no time like the present to start working on it," said Draco. Harry and Draco got down from the book case onto the now dry floor, opened the bag, and started unloading it. They worked out a system of taking out a box, returning it to its normal size, and then taking it to the shelves where the books would be once they unpacked the boxes. In then end there were several piles in different points around the shop. When Harry looked in and saw no more boxes, he returned the inside to the right size and said,
"Draco? Good news."
"What's that?" said Draco putting down the last box on top of a pile all marked "MAGIC" that was near the door to one of the back rooms.
"That's the last box." Draco let out a heavy sigh and said,
"Oh thank Merlin." He looked around and saw only book cases and boxes. "You need a couch... or a chair... something to flop into because that's really what I want to do right now." Harry hopped up on the small book case again, laid down flat on his back, crossed his ankles, and put his hands behind his head. "Or, there's that idea." Draco walked to the small book case and did the same thing so that the tops of their heads were about an inch apart.
"I do need to get a couple of couches and chairs for people to sit in while they are here. Maybe a couple of tables."
"Later."
"Yes, definitely later. After I get all the books on the shelves, get the light fixed, get a desk and cash register in here, get the phone connected, have that house warming party... and probably other things that will come up... then get a couple of couches and chairs for this place."
"You forgot two things."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Well, first, I've discovered that you're going to have to re-varnish all of these shelves."
"How did you discover that?"
"A huge hunk of varnish just came off on my hand." Harry reached down and discovered that the varnish was indeed coming off quickly.
"All right, the second thing?"
"Have hot mad sex with me on your bed once we get it in place upstairs." Harry grinned widely.
"Ah, I thought that was a given."
"Well, I like to hear you say it."
"All right, the last thing to do today is have hot mad sex with you on my bed once we unpack it and put it in my bedroom upstairs."
"Yay!"
"But right now I think we need some lunch."
"I disagree."
"Really?"
"Yes. I think first we need a shower, new clothes, THEN get some lunch. I don't know about you but I'm not walking out of this place in my current state."
"Only if you shower with me."
"Of course darling, I wouldn't dream of letting your hot naked body be showered in water and soap without me there." Harry sat up and jumped down from the book case and Draco quickly did the same thing. Harry took the steps up to his place two at a time with Draco close behind. Once up the stairs it became a race to see who could get naked and into the shower the fastest. Harry won by a sock and was the first in the shower. Draco collided with him and pushed him into the wall. They kissed each other hungrily as the hot water beat down on them. By the end of the shower there was absolutely no dirt or dust on either of them. Harry pulled some clothes from one of his bags and pulled on a fresh pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a big green heavy sweater. Draco walked into the room wearing nothing but a towel as he pulled his still soaking wet hair up into a pony tail.
"Awww, you're dressed," said Draco with a pout. Harry smiled at him as he laced up his shoes.
"Well, they don't really approve of people walking out into public completely naked yet. And there were words about having lunch after the shower, so I should go get some."
"I'll get dressed," Draco said as he reached for the bag but Harry reached out and stopped him.
"Nooooo, no no no no, your job is to stay in that towel and wait for me to get back and feed you." Draco raised an eyebrow and grinned shamelessly.
"Well then, I think I can live with this arrangement." Harry kissed him quickly and picked up his keys.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Harry said as he went down the stairs. "I love you!"
"I love you!" Draco called down the stairs with a smile. Harry walked out the front door and locked it behind him. When he turned around, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was a black car parked in front of his store and a man in black smoking a cigarette leaning against it.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked with nervousness and malice in his voice.