A/N: I'm back, y'all! And I've nothing really to say so just go on down and read the chapter.
Disclaimer: Have to get this out of the way. Obviously, Harry Potter and his whole little world aren't mine.
Matchmakers, Inc
Chapter 26
Draco leaned over the worktable with Pansy, showing her the changes to one of the cloaks he'd made for the winter line. Every so often his mind would wander and she'd elbow his side, bringing his focus back to things not small, dark and handsome. Each time, he'd smile apologetically and she'd roll her eyes. Draco was glad she had nothing further to say about the situation, which probably had more to do with the hour and a half long chat she'd made him have last night than her desire to spare him any embarrassment.
The door opened and Draco turned, a smile breaking out on his face when he saw Harry's lean form framed in the opening. His secretary was looking over the man's shoulders and simultaneously trying to pull him away, but Draco waved her off. Confused, she looked between the two before shrugging and returning to her desk. "Harry," Draco said, walking towards the man. "Why are you here?" As he drew closer to his lover, Draco noticed the stormy expression on the shorter man's face. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, ignoring as Pansy approached from behind.
"It's true, isn't it?" Harry asked, his tone one Draco hadn't heard directed at him in a little over five years. He frowned at it, but Harry wasn't done. "You knew it was a set-up, didn't you? Merlin," Harry laughed harshly to himself and dug a hand into his already shaggy hair.
Draco knew what Harry meant instantly and wondered if this was what Seamus had warned him about. He reached out, but Harry pushed his hand away. "Harry, I…" he tried, but the other man shook his head.
"No, Malfoy," Harry snarled. "Don't even bother. Seamus explained everything."
Draco shook his head, hurt by the sound of his last name from lips that had cried out to him so passionately only the night before. Pansy put a steadying hand on the blond's shoulder. "I don't understand, Potter," she said, her tone sharp, "even if it was a set-up and Draco knew, what difference does that make? You still fell in love with him."
Harry snorted. "It makes a huge difference," he answered, just as sharply. "It means it was all fake." He slashed his hand through the air. "All of it. Like a couple of actors playing out a role set for them by some unseen director, or toys, in the hands of a child. Not real."
Pansy's angry retort died on her lips as Draco rushed forward, grabbing Harry by the shoulders and pulling him close. Then Draco was kissing Harry, pouring himself into the kiss and he could tell, could feel that Harry was forcing himself not to respond, not to give in and return the kiss. Harry's hands fisted in his shirt and for a moment, Draco felt the other man pull him closer, right before he shoved him away.
"You felt that," Draco whispered, breathing a little more harshly than normal. "I know you did. How can you say that's not real?"
Harry glared at Draco, rubbing roughly at his lips. "How can you say it is?" he replied. "Can you honestly tell me that without Seamus' interference, we would be in the same relationship?" He shook his head, not letting Draco or Pansy reply. "If it weren't for Seamus, we would still be happy and hating each other."
Draco opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the words stuck in his throat. He had once said something similar to Seamus, and for the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy couldn't think of a single response.
"Doesn't that just mean you should thank the little bugger for his help, rather than throwing away something that actually worked?" Pansy asked and Draco sent her a thankful look.
Harry shook his head. "You two just don't get it," he snapped and turned to leave.
"We're trying to, Harry," Draco burst, "but you aren't really explaining anything!" Harry ignored him and kept walking out the door. Draco turned a panicked gaze to his best friend. Why did he get the feeling that this was final?
Without waiting for Pansy to say or do anything, Draco ran after Harry, startling his secretary, who had never seen the man move any faster than a brisk walk. He reached the elevators in time to see the doors close on Harry's stubborn face and he frantically pushed the button for the next one. Seconds felt like minutes and the shiny portal finally slid open. Draco ran inside and stabbed at the button leading to the first floor. The elevator began to descend, and Draco cursed when the cart paused at the second floor. He looked up though when the new arrival said his name. He nodded curtly to Madame Bones, not trusting his voice enough to speak.
"Mr. Malfoy, just the man I was looking for," she said. "You haven't seen Mr. Potter, have you? I need to ask him a few questions regarding the letter of resignation he turned in today."
Draco frowned and met the woman's gaze, startled by the compassion he saw in it and he wondered how much she knew of what was happening. The elevator slid to a halt and the doors opened. "Thank you," Draco told her, though he wasn't quite sure why, and rushed off the elevator. A glance around the mostly empty lobby showed no sign of the other man and Draco hurried out the door.
The sidewalk was crowded for lunch hour, but Draco continued his search, walking far enough to find himself standing in front of Harry's townhouse. No light shone from the windows but that was not unexpected. It was only midday after all. Draco sat down on the steps and put his head down on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't understand why Harry was so upset, didn't understand his talk of real and fake. Harry wanted him; Draco knew the desire was there. Harry didn't mind his personality, even though Draco knew there were many who disliked him. Harry loved him, or at least Draco thought he had.
Draco sighed heavily and curled his arms around his head, as if doing so could stop the tears that he could feel forming behind his lids. He was a Malfoy, and Malfoys never cried. Even with the passing of years and the deaths of his parents, Draco still tried to uphold that creed. Nothing else he had been taught as a child fit into the world that formed after the fall of Voldemort. On few occasions had he been unable to keep this rule, he shed his tears silently and never in what could be considered a public place, as Harry's doorstep most certainly was. So he kept his head down, thinking and waiting, all the while forcing his eyes to remain dry.
It was quite some time before Draco moved, sitting up with a jolt when he felt the hand on his shoulder. He looked up to meet Pansy's gaze in the fading light of evening. Neither spoke. When Pansy wrapped her arms around Draco and pulled him close, he rested his head on her shoulder and watched the sun fall slowly beneath the trees. "You know what you need?" she asked Draco softly. Pansy didn't suspect an answer and wasn't at all surprised when her question was met by silence. "You need a drink. Come on, then," she said softly, pulling Draco up as she smiled at him. "Let's go get smashed."
Seamus was still rubbing his cheek thoughtfully when someone knocked on his door. He raised his brow at it, as if just looking at the wood panel would let him know who stood on the other side. He pushed himself off the couch and walked to the door, glaring at the offending thing for not providing the information he needed without his having to move. Bastard.
He opened the door, met the nervous blue eyes of the man in the hall, and closed the door. Nodding, Seamus dusted his hands off and strode back to the couch, sitting cross-legged on the cushions and starring at the door. Seamus knew it was unlocked. Of course he did; that door was never locked and anyone who knew him knew it. He may have known Brian Anders for only a few months, but the other man knew just as well as anyone else that he could walk right in. Seamus wanted to see what would happen.
The door remained closed, but through it he could hear as Brian started to speak. "Seamus?" the man said tentatively, and Seamus curled his arms around his knees. Watching and waiting. "Seamus, I know you're mad at me, and I don't really expect to change that, but I'm going to tell you all this anyway."
Seamus shrugged, forgetting for a moment that Brian couldn't see him. "I didn't know you were a wizard, and I didn't tell you I was one because I didn't think it mattered." Seamus could hear the sigh reverberate through the door and the thump that meant the other man was leaning against it. "I liked my job, you know? Working at St. Mungo's, I got to help a lot of people, but, with magic, I never realized there were people you couldn't help. When I got to that car and saw that man already dead, I knew I couldn't do anything, just like I couldn't do anything to help the other one."
Seamus bit his lip and pulled his knees tighter as he listened to the long pause that followed. "So, I quit. I quit St. Mungo's and I quit magic. When I met you, I didn't know you knew any of them. I didn't know until your red-headed friend recognized me. But I don't regret it."
The door creaked open and Seamus found himself starring at the man behind the words. Brian watched him carefully, stepping inside the room just enough to close the door behind him and leaned against it. "Don't get me wrong," he continued, Seamus still watching him closely, though he made no further movements. "I'm sorry your lover died and I'm sorry your friend can't walk, but none of that is my fault. I felt like it was though, for a while," Brian sighed and shook his head.
"But I'm not sorry I met you. If it weren't for that night, we never would have met and I find it impossible to wish it hadn't happened." Brian reached up and scratched his head for a minute, then let his hand drop to his side. "So, my name is Brian Anders. I'm a 27 year old wizard currently working as a doorman, also a job I rather like. I wanted to come talk to you earlier, even spent a few hours trying to find you after I left Harry's friend's place, but then I thought I'd give you some time to, you know, figure stuff out."
Seamus said nothing as he reached out to his side, grabbing and throwing a pillow with enough accuracy to hit Brian's face.
"Careful," Brian said. "Your pal Harry just about bowled me over in the hall out there," he muttered, rubbing his shoulder. "Now I've got physical abuse in here too?"
Seamus snorted and ignored the man's whining. "You are the most long-winded guy I've ever met, and the stupidest, talking about magic in a public hall in the middle of a muggle neighborhood. Idiot." He stuck out his tongue. "Harry told me everything. I knew all that already!" The Irishman shrugged. "Well, except that last little bit. Why the bloody hell didn't you tell me you were 27, old man?"
He stood, uncurling himself and stretching. "I don't blame you for what happened," Seamus said softly, hands crossed behind his head with his arms folded down just enough to hide his face from the man across the room. "I was just…surprised, is all. But, thanks to you, I got to screw around with Draco's head and trick Harry into going over to the blond bombshell's house, so it's all good." He grinned.
Brian frowned. "But…" he started, trailing off when Seamus just shook his head.
"Just shut up and come here," the shorter man said, sitting back down and patting the seat next to him. "Let's finally finish that movie. Never did figure out what happened in the school," Seamus said as he picked up the remote and started the DVD player and the movie that was still in it. Brian sat next to him and the two men watched in silence as zombies hunted down and attacked the characters. When Seamus began crying silently, Brian pretended not to know and did nothing more comforting than slip his arm around Seamus' trembling shoulders. Seamus pretended it didn't help.
A/n: That's it for now. No worries though. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak…type…read…whatever. The point is, it's coming! That said, here's my shout outs! Thanks to MissyAllykins, LadyDragonWolfKnight, claire2007, fifespice, fattoad, vilon, Ann, Lady Rachel Lupin, AngelikRebel, Hyper Hippie, and MiraiYume for reviewing. See you all next chapter!
PS: Which sounds better: you aren't or you're not? Hmmm….I wonder.