A/N: Just a sweet little chapter.
Ch34Almost two weeks had gone by ever since Harry had arrived in Nantes, and so far he and Draco hadn't made any progress. There were no kisses under the moonlight that Harry had hoped before, or long walks on Draco's beautiful property either.
He barely saw Draco most of the time. The blond rarely spent his days at home, and Harry had the impression that he was doing it on purpose. He was testing Harry's patience, and even though Harry was quite angry with the whole situation, he was doing his best not to show it. He was always polite and charming when he met Draco for breakfast or supper. On those rare occasions, the blond just sneered at him as if he knew something Harry didn't. When Harry did try to talk to him about their relationship, Draco changed the subject to trivial matters. Then he excused himself and went to his chambers in the east wing, leaving Harry all alone at the table.
It was driving Harry insane. He knew it would be difficult from the beginning, but at some point they would have to start working on their issues.
That was why Harry was determined not to be intimidated by Draco's coolness that day. He would corner him at breakfast, and they would talk like adults. No more days spent on the computer and at the fireplace solving problems at work. All Harry wanted was a proper date, and he would have it. He would use a spell if he had to, but he and Draco would spend at least one day together.
He met Draco having breakfast in the solarium. The blond was wearing jeans and a green and grey long-sleeved t-shirt with the printed image of two Quidditch players going for the Snitch. As usual, he looked stunning. He was reading a letter with a preoccupied frown on his face, and Harry wondered what that was about.
When Draco saw Harry standing at the doorway, he left the letter aside for a moment.
"Good morning, sunshine (1)," Draco greeted him with a sneer, making Harry clench his fists at the mocking tone.
Harry counted to ten, then sat in front of Draco and began to pour himself some coffee.
"Good morning," he said, trying to sound cool. "Is there something wrong?"
Draco stared at him thoughtfully. "Why?"
"You seemed worried just a second ago," said Harry, taking a sip of his coffee. "Bad news?"
Draco sighed, and he fumbled the letter in his hand as if wondering if it were wise to share its contents with Harry.
"Lucius and James broke up," he informed him bluntly.
Harry almost spilled the coffee on the table. "What? What did your son do?" he asked darkly.
Draco made a face. "Why does it have to be Lucius' fault? For your information, your son started the whole thing."
Harry crossed his arms and a murderous thought crossed his mind. If Lucius had dared to hurt his son, Harry would crush him. But he wouldn't jump ahead with his conclusions. He was trying to change, and that meant that he had to tame that side of him that was always on the edge of throwing a tantrum.
"What happened?" he asked.
Draco was impressed by Harry's self-control. He leaned against his chair and looked at Harry intensely. "They're jealous of each other. Lucius has an ex-boyfriend who has become his friend, and James doesn't like it. James has been mooning over his best friend, who seems to have forgotten about him ever since he found himself a… girlfriend. And Lucius is jealous of that."
"You mean Maxwell? I didn't know he was dating someone. Ron didn't tell me anything."
Draco cursed himself for almost revealing the boy's secret. Lucius had made him promise not to say a word to anyone about Max Weasley and his fling with the Professor. He knew very well that Ron would freak out if he found out that his son was gay and was dating someone older.
"Kids don't usually tell their parents everything. I know I never told my parents a lot of things."
Harry frowned. "Well, I wouldn't know since I didn't have my parents around and James makes sure to keep me in the dark about his life – which is something I can't really blame him for doing. But your family seems very different, Malfoy. Your son didn't waste time to tell you about his fight with James. And you told your mother about us, which led to disaster!"
Draco bit his lower lip hard. He should have seen that one coming. Although he did deserve it for being insensitive in more ways than one, he also wanted to point at Harry and shout 'busted'; after all, Harry's harsh remark was proof enough that they still had a long way to go before forgiving each other.
Draco raised a brow and tapped his fingers on the table. "Your point is?"
"You know exactly what my point is," Harry said, trying as hard as he could not to lose his temper. Since the story was about James as well, he allowed himself to fret a little. After all, he didn't want James to suffer more than he already had. It also broke his heart to know that James hadn't bothered to tell him anything. That was another extra point for Draco, since Lucius had told him the whole story in his letter. "Besides, that's not really important now. I'm worried about James…" he said quietly.
Draco pitied him. Against his better judgement, he touched Harry's hand with his and squeezed it softly. "Look, I'm not worried about them. People break up all the time. I'm sure they'll make up in no time as well. They like each other a lot. You know that. It's a silly misunderstanding. Teenagers are silly like that. They tend to make a fuss about the smallest things just so they have something to worry about."
Harry felt a gush of heat take over his body as he felt Draco's hand on his.
"You were worried. I saw your face when you were reading the letter," Harry pointed out.
"All right, so I'm not going to lie to you. I'm a little worried. Lucius seems depressed, and that's something new. But to be honest I was more concerned about your reaction. After all, I knew you would blame this on Lucius. I know how fond of him you are," Draco said with a sneer.
Harry sighed. "Actually, I got to spend some time with your kid while you were away, and I confess that he's not that bad. He's extremely conceited at times, but that's in his blood, so it was expected."
Draco made a face at that.
"I'm worried about James, though. He gets easily upset. He has… anxiety problems."
Draco knew, and he felt like cuddling Harry. "I'm sure they'll be ok. I don't meddle with Lucius' affairs unless I have to or he asks me directly. It's better to let him learn how to deal with his problems alone."
"I'm not sure about that. They're still too young. What do they know about life? Besides, if it's clear that your son is hurting, will you not interfere?" Harry asked, troubled.
"No," Draco answered calmly. "Hurting is a part of life. You and I know that very well. If I keep interfering all the time, he'll never learn how to deal with it himself."
Harry got up from the chair and went to stand next to the window. Suddenly, everything around him was claustrophobic. He didn't agree with Draco, but Draco was a much better father than he was in many ways, so he decided to remain quiet. He was hurting as well. He knew better than to expect James to tell him about every little detail of his life. That episode only reminded him that he had miles to go before fixing things with James.
Harry's life was a mess in general, and that was very depressing.
"After all the trouble they put us through, they're breaking up?" Harry asked himself, sneering. "Talk about irony…"
"Looking on the bright side, they brought us together. You're here, aren't you? That's quite a miracle," Draco said softly.
Harry turned to stare at him at once, his heart thumping in his ears. "I thought you were annoyed by my presence here."
Draco smiled wryly. "I am. And you know why."
Draco stood up abruptly and went to stand next to Harry. He caught the raven-haired man's hand and pulled him towards the door.
"Come along, Potter. You were grounded long enough. I know you had fun playing with your computer while Ron kept nagging you to come back and save your company from total disaster, but it's time to play with me a little. You've behaved quite well these days, so now you deserve a treat."
Harry stopped walking suddenly, which made the blond distressed.
"What?" Draco asked, looking at him.
"First of all, how do you know that Ron has been nagging me? Secondly, should we just leave our kids be?" Harry asked. "That's all?"
"Answering your first question, I know everything you do here. That's why I have so many servants to take care of you 24/7. Secondly, yes, we should just leave our kids be. They're smarter than us anyway."
"And pretend that nothing has happened?" Harry went on with a disagreeable face. "Even though they made such a drama when I broke them apart, and acted as if they were so much in love that it made me sick… the whole "I'll never hurt your son" act was a lie? Even after everything, we should just let them be? And by the way, I don't like to be spied on!"
"Nobody does," Draco sneered. "But can you blame me?"
Harry crossed his arms, upset. "Yes, I can blame you. I have many faults, but that doesn't mean you have the right to spy on me. Although… It is kind of interesting. It shows me that you care for me."
Draco raised a brow. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Draco, I can't just do nothing about James and Lucius. Not after everything!" Harry said, ignoring Draco's last remark and going back to the main point of their conversation.
Draco sighed heavily.
"Alright. Say it. Say that you think I'm a heartless bastard and that we should go to Hogwarts at once and try to knock some sense into our kids' heads while they throw dagger-looks at us and wonder what the hell their old folks are doing there in the first place."
"Actually, who am I to say anything?" Harry pointed out, looking down. "You know I'm a lousy father. At least Lucius talks to you about his love life. James doesn't tell me anything."
Draco caught a hint of sadness in Harry's eyes, and once more he felt like bringing Harry closer to pamper him a little. Although Harry had made such a mess with his life, he deserved a second chance. Harry had never had anyone to guide him. He had always been alone. The few people he thought he could count on had either died or let him down. In a way, Draco had a good childhood. Lucius had only lost his mind after Voldemort's resurrection. Before that he had never been perfect, but Draco had good memories of them together. And Narcissa, in spite of everything, had always spoiled Draco a lot.
But Harry never really had anyone to lean on. He had always been afraid of losing his loved ones, and he had lost people important to him in the most hideous ways. Draco couldn't blame him for turning out the way he did.
"They're teenagers, Harry. Teenagers tend to be dramatic about everything and hate their parents all the time. But eventually they realise that they do need us. I'm sure James will tell you more about himself when he's ready," Draco said. "Besides, if this makes you feel better, Lucius still loves James. It's just a silly fight. They'll work things out on their own."
Harry felt more relieved to hear that, and he smiled softly. "So now I'm Harry again."
Draco tried to hide a smile unsuccessfully. "If you keep behaving like a decent and sweet human being, then yes, I'll keep calling you Harry."
Harry took advantage of the fact that Draco had let his guards down to enlace him by his waist and pull him to his body. Their sudden contact was electrifying.
"Ok. I'll do as you say and I'll leave the boys to handle their own problems." Because Harry didn't think that James would appreciate him meddling in his personal life. "Now where's my treat?" Harry asked against Draco's lips.
"Right in front of you," Draco answered almost in a whisper. He cursed Harry in his thoughts and wondered how exactly he had managed to have Harry in his house for almost two weeks while resisting the urge to ravish him.
Harry smiled from ear to ear. "Interesting."
He leaned forward to kiss Draco, but the blond put a finger on his lips frustrating his expectations.
"You get to spend the day with me, and that's it. No touching is allowed," Draco said, smirking.
Harry snorted as Draco got away from his arms skilfully. "You're having so much fun provoking me, aren't you?"
Draco smiled sexily. "Of course. I warned you that I wouldn't make things easy for you, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did." No matter how angry it made him, Harry had to admit that the game was a lot more interesting that way. Trying to put his troubles aside, he asked, "So where are we going?"
"To one of my favourite places on earth," Draco said with his eyes shining brightly. "I think you'll enjoy yourself. Do you like soccer?"
Harry nodded. "I do. But I suck at it. I'm only good at Quidditch."
"Great! Then I'll enjoy myself for sure," Draco said playfully, taking Harry's hand again and dragging him outside where a BMW was waiting for them.
"Are we going to play soccer?" Harry asked after he got into the car.
"Yes," answered Draco, starting the car.
When Draco's hand was on the gear, Harry touched it slightly, making the blond tremble a little.
"Are we playing in opposing teams?" Harry asked.
Draco nodded. Harry smiled at him in a way that made him want to drag him to his bedroom and shag him.
"Great. So if my team wins, you'll have to let me kiss you," Harry stated.
Draco laughed. "Alright, Potter. But just so you know… I was never better than you at Quidditch, but I'm very good at soccer."
"We'll see."
They smiled at each other, anticipating what was to come.
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Two hours later and Harry was dumbfounded by everything he had learned about Draco. He was in a nice and cosy house a half an hour away from Draco's, and he was surrounded by a dozen children all smiling and teasing Draco as if he was their older brother.
The blond was a lot more than that. He was their saviour. Many years ago, Draco had started a foundation to take care of orphan children in Nantes. His foundation had grown bigger, and today he helped children in three different parts of Africa, plus another orphanage in Scotland.
He needed a lot of money for that, which was why he sometimes sold out anything of value from his assets. Selling stuff that had been in his family for generations was also a way to expiate his sins.
The Malfoys were still wealthy, but their fortune had been decreasing drastically over the years. A proportion of the money was used to maintain Draco's and Narcissa's rich lifestyle, while the rest was divided between paying off the family's debts with the Ministry, as well as helping out Draco's foundation.
As they took a walk around the orphanage, Draco confessed that he would miss his fancy cars if he lost everything, but he wouldn't mind having to live a simpler life. He had learned a lot during his staying in Africa the first time he had been there many years ago. He also knew that Lucius wouldn't suffer so much in case their fortune was gone.
It was Narcissa that troubled him. At this point of their conversation, Draco paused; staring at Harry's stunned face.
"What?"
"I'm just surprised that you've told me all this," Harry said, touched.
Draco shrugged. "I thought your detective had handed you a full report about my life. Besides, I've got nothing to hide. Don't you want to get to know me better? This is me. I'm vain and selfish, but I can be good from time to time."
Harry smiled. "I don't think you're selfish anymore. Your work is amazing. It's obvious that the children love you. I'm impressed. You've done a great job. You're still vain, though."
Draco made a face. "How can a person not be vain with a face like mine?"
Harry laughed. "Indeed."
They stopped by a big gnarled tree in the big backyard, and Harry leaned on it as he stared at the sky.
"So tell me, how much money do you owe the Ministry?" Harry asked.
"Ok. So I do have something to hide," Draco said, leaning close to Harry. The raven-haired man looked at him with a serious face, making Draco sigh. "This is too personal, Harry. And this has got nothing to do with you."
"If you ever need a loan…"
Draco opened his eyes wide. "Are you serious? Do you really think I would accept money from you?"
"It's only a loan."
"And what's the different between owing money to the Ministry and owing money to you? To be honest, I prefer to owe money to them. And besides, I've got a job now. Griffin will make me rich, won't it?" Draco asked with a charming wink. "Then I'll be able to…" he stopped talking abruptly, as if something had just occurred to him.
Harry frowned curiously. "What? You'll be able to what?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking out loud."
Harry knew there was still something Draco wasn't telling him, but he decided not to push it. After all, Draco had told him enough about himself for a day.
"What about your mother? You said you were worried about her," said Harry.
Draco distanced himself from Harry with an expression that was difficult to decipher. The blond sat on the nearest bench and leaned his elbows on his knees.
"Dear Narcissa… My mother is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She hasn't aged a bit," he said.
Harry came to sit next to him. "Well, that explains why you're gay."
Draco frowned at him, and Harry chuckled.
"You've got a mother-complex," Harry pointed out.
"So what? My mother was always good to me," Draco said a little defensively. "She's spoiled me endlessly."
"And that also explain a lot of other things about you," Harry stated.
Draco smiled wryly. "I suppose so. Anyway, she always supported me no matter what I did. My father wasn't so lenient. But to my mother, I was flawless. She even tried to betray the Dark Lord to save me. I was her pride and joy... When I told her about you, though, everything changed. It was big blow for her. I only told her because I thought she would be by my side. I knew she would be shocked, but I didn't expect her…"
"… to tell your father so he could ruin my life?" Harry finished for him with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Draco looked at him with such a sad expression that Harry didn't resist the urge to pull him into a tight hug. Although it was still hard and painful to face what had happened to Ginny, Harry believed now that Draco wasn't responsible for it.
"I don't blame you anymore," Harry muttered.
"I know. But I still blame myself in a way," Draco said, leaning his head against Harry's chest and allowing himself to be close to him for a little longer. There was nothing in the world that could be compared to Harry's warmth.
"And I still blame myself."
Draco smiled feebly. "What a pair, huh?"
"Indeed."
"To sum it up, my relationship with my mother was never the same after that. But she's my mother, and I'm her only son, so we created a weird system to deal with each other. I couldn't just abandon her after my father went to jail. No matter what horrible things she said to me… I couldn't just leave her. Besides…"
"Besides?"
Draco sighed. "Nothing. Never mind. I told you a lot about myself today. I think it's enough." Draco gently pulled away from Harry's embrace and missed his warmth immediately. "We should go now. We've got a game to attend to."
Harry took his hand again and squeezed it. "Draco?"
His eyes met Harry's and found only understanding and tenderness there. Draco blinked a few times in order to escape from the spell of those beautiful green orbs.
"What?" he asked Harry.
Harry pulled him towards him again, and touched his forehead to his. Then he stroked Draco's face softly.
"Thanks for telling me all this."
Draco didn't say anything. His usual ironic remark got stuck in his throat.
"You do realise that by doing this, you've given me hope to make this relationship work. I want you now more than ever," Harry stated.
Their lips almost touched. Draco wanted to tell him that he was also ready to surrender, but he still wanted some time to think. He put some distance between them before he could melt in Harry's arms for good.
"I want you, too, Harry. But… I'm not sure yet."
"That's ok. I don't mind waiting. It will only make it more worthy in the end," Harry stated with a certainty that made Draco smile.
Half an hour later, they were happily flushed and excited as they played soccer with the children. Draco proved himself to be an excellent player, while Harry was berated by eight-year-old Beau for sucking at it. On the other hand, Fabienne, a beautiful fourteen-year-old blond girl, kept encouraging Harry during the whole game. Although Draco was amused by the way she kept staring at Harry with interest, he also felt a little upset.
"Should I remind you that she's only fourteen?" Draco provoked him as they met on the field. He felt ridiculous for being jealous of a teenage girl, but he couldn't help it.
Harry smiled mischievously. "Don't tell me you're jealous."
"I'm not!" exclaimed Draco, passing the ball between Harry's legs and sneering at him.
Harry grabbed him by the waist and pulled him towards his body. They fell to the ground, Draco on top of him. They stared at each other intensely and the attraction they felt between themselves became evident.
"We're in the middle of a game, and there're children around us," Draco reminded him with a smile. He pulled away from Harry and helped him get up.
"It's pretty obvious that my team is not going to win," Harry muttered close to Draco's ear. "So if I make a goal, I'll kiss you."
Draco didn't say anything, but he liked the challenge he saw in Harry's eyes. He actually caught himself cheering for Harry, but unfortunately, the ex-Gryffindor was really bad at it. The game came to an end, and Harry didn't make a single goal. Draco was a little disappointed, but not as much as Harry.
Beau stuck his tongue out at Harry for ruining the game for him, and Draco laughed.
"He's charming," Harry said with a sneer. "Just like you were at his age, I suppose."
Draco smiled amusedly. "He has a point, you know? You suck."
"I told you I did," Harry said, making a face. "At least I'm better than you at Quidditch, which by the way is a much better sport."
"I don't think so."
Harry pretended to be outraged. "This coming from a pure-blood who bragged about his Quidditch skills all the time!"
Draco just shrugged. The kids went away to take a shower and get ready for dinner, and Draco and Harry were left behind. They sat on the grass side by side and watched stars sprinkling the sky.
"Thanks, Harry," said Draco after a few minutes of total silence.
Harry looked at him. "What for?"
Draco swallowed hard. "For coming here. I confess I didn't think you were serious."
"But I am."
Draco nodded. "I can see that. It's just that… So many things happened to us… I'm still…"
Harry took Draco's hand and stroked it with his thumb. "I know. Like I said before, I don't mind waiting for you."
Draco's heart beat faster. "Don't be cute, Harry. It makes it so difficult to…"
"… resist me?" Harry hinted, closing the space between them.
Draco smiled. "What do you think you're doing? You haven't made a single goal. You don't deserve a kiss," he said against Harry's lips.
Harry brushed his mouth against his and said, "You said I deserved a treat. This is my treat for being a good boy."
Draco laughed. He was delighted by how much Harry had changed. The raven-haired man seemed more open-minded and relaxed. The man in front of him was very different from the stiff and biased Harry Potter from a couple of weeks ago. It really made it difficult for Draco to resist Harry now that he was openly trying to seduce him.
And after a while, he wondered exactly why he was still playing hard-to-get when he could have everything he had always wanted.
'But you're trying to protect your heart from another heartbreak. You don't know yet if this Harry is for real. He might be just a product of your imagination,' he thought. 'You must resist. At least for now…'
"What are you, a dog?" Draco mocked.
"I'll show you the dog," Harry said with an intense stare, laying Draco on the grass and climbing on top of him.
"There might be children watching us," Draco pointed out.
"If you really don't want this, then push me away," Harry muttered, his breath caressing Draco's mouth gently.
The blond smiled and entwined his fingers in Harry's hair, pulling him closer.
"That's a big problem… I don't want to push you away," he confessed. "I think you do deserve a treat, but only a small one."
Harry smiled, and just a second after that their lips met in a sweet but intense kiss.
Harry's heart rejoiced as Draco surrendered in his arms. The waiting had paid off at last.
TBC…
(1) Quote from QAF! XD
A/N: Cuddles to Cuthrin and Kuri, my betas. Thank you all for reviewing. I confess I'm kind of sad that almost no one made any comments about the missing scene between Max and Mathias. Awww! I wonder if it was too shocking… Or just a bad chapter… Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this one. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Sweet till the end! So please, leave a review!
TEASER:
Draco licked his lips and smiled. "Really? Aren't you overconfident?"
"I trust my power of persuasion," Harry stated.
"And exactly what do you intend to do to convince me to end the night here?" Draco asked.
Harry gulped, and then he took a deep breath, because what he had to say would demand a lot from him.