Draco

"Stupid, stupid," Draco mumbled to himself as he poured a cup of camomile tea. He sipped it, and it burned his tongue. "Doubly stupid, Draco. Way to burn your tongue."

Draco crossed his sitting room and stood in front of the fire. He knelt down and picked up a log from the pile next to the mantel. The hearth roared to life as he tossed the log on the pile. The manor was quiet outside of the flickering fire.

"Merlin, what was I thinking," he mumbled again. As he stood up, the flames of the fire flickered a deep green. Someone was trying to come through. Only a handful of people had access to the Manor's Floo network. His mother had access, but as his house-elf, Pinky, informed him when he arrived home, she was still in France. Pansy had access, but usually she called first to ask if it was okay to drop in. And, of course, the Ministry had an emergency policy for all employees to give access to Minister Shacklebolt, as well as to their direct boss, so Head Auror Robards has access, too. It could be him come to yell at Draco for skipping the debrief. But something like hope flickered in Draco's chest like a flame in a soft breeze. His partner also had access to the Manor via Floo.

He had no idea who it would be, but he stepped back to give them access when they arrived. Part of him was shocked when Potter stepped through. Another part of him felt happy, but he told that part of himself to shut up. Potter couldn't be here for a good reason. In all of the time they were partners, Potter never once used the Floo to come see Draco.

"Hi," Potter said as casually as if they often visited each other's homes. He dusted some ash off his robes and sneezed from the debris.

Draco knitted his brow and peered over Harry's shoulder to see if anyone else would be coming through with him, but the flames turned bright orange again. "Uh, hi?"

Potter whistled as he took in the sitting room. "Nice room. Very Victorian Earl sitting by the fire after a dinner party." He nodded towards the tea and added, "Though, don't they usually drink brandy and smoke cigars or something else ridiculous like that?"

"I like tea better, and smoking is gross," Draco answered, stupidly. What was Potter doing here? And why was he acting so casual?

He stepped around Draco and walked further into the room. He paced in front of a bookshelf dragging his finger along the spines. "You left before I got back."

"I'm tired," Draco half-lied. "The potion took it out of me."

"Me too. But it seems you weren't too tired to tell Robards you didn't want to be my partner anymore." Potter stopped walking along the bookshelf and turned to face Draco. He smiled, a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Draco felt sure that if he tried to move even one inch his legs would give out under him. He schooled his expression, leaning on old habits, and smirked at Potter. "Thought you'd be thrilled to be rid of me, Potter. No more protocol, no more having to hear me whine about plans and paperwork. You're free to dash about like a Herculean hero. Run into a burning building, save a kitten and all that."

Potter shrugged. "It was starting to grow on me, actually. I thought we made some good progress back there with all that honesty stuff."

"What?" Draco couldn't hide the shock in his voice.

"Yeah, in the spirit of honesty, I'd sort of grown fond of all your dithering about proper filing and the fact that you put a coaster or napkin under my mugs when you think I'm not looking. Plus, it's kind of nice having someone at my back. I'd forgotten what that felt like."

Draco had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. "What are you saying? You want me to stay on as your partner?"

"Only if you want to, of course." Potter resumed his walking about the room. He stopped in front of a portrait of Draco that his mother had commissioned when he turned eighteen. Draco hated it, but his mother insisted on hanging it in the sitting room. The portrait itself was life-size and in it, Draco stood behind a high-backed chair with one hand resting on the chair and the other tucked away in his trouser pocket.

"Mother insisted on hanging it," Draco found himself saying.

Potter nodded, then tilted his head to the side to take more of the portrait in. "It's a good likeness."

"Thanks," Draco said. His stomach was flapping about like a fish out of water and here Potter was commenting on art like he was in a museum on a Sunday afternoon. "Potter, are you sure you want to be my partner?"

"Yes," Potter said firmly. He crossed the room to stand in front of Draco and smiled. "I am very sure."

"But won't it be awkward after, you know?" Draco asked. His cheeks were burning with the heat of embarrassment. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation.

Potter gave him a curious look. A raised brow, a quirk of his lip. "No. Why? Should it be?"

"Yes."

"How about I say something awkward to level the playing field then?"

"I doubt it will be as awkward as what I said."

A laugh, thick and warm like honey, bubbled out of Potter. Soft and understanding. Draco wrung his hands for something to do other than take off at a sprint for the exit. This was the most unsettled he'd felt in quite a while.

"Malfoy, you're partially right, part of the reason the potion affected me so much is because I have been ignoring a growing attraction to someone," Potter said, his voice low and full of promise.

"Is that supposed to be the awkward part?" Draco scoffed. "We both already knew that."

Potter held up a hand. "Let me finish before you get your knickers in a twist."

Draco let out a huff. "Fine."

"Thank you." Potter licked his lips. The motion woke up Draco's desire, not that it had been slumbering too deeply after the day he'd had. "As I was saying, I have been ignoring how I felt for a long time now. In fact, I haven't even let myself entertain the idea of being attracted to someone since everything that happened with Dean."

"Why?" Draco couldn't help but interrupt.

Potter sighed. "Lots of reasons. Too many people saw me as 'The Harry Potter' and not as just Harry, so dating was exhausting even before all that. Then one of my best friends died saving my life." Potter paused, swallowing hard. "I felt guilty being alive when he wasn't. Then it sort of spiraled, bringing with it all the other people who were dead because of me. I didn't know how to be okay with that, and I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen again, so I decided I was better off alone...until, that is, they partnered me with you."

Every inch of Draco wanted to melt right there on the expensive carpet Mother had brought home on a trip to Iran. Somehow he managed to stay standing.

"I don't know about you," Potter said, his lips curling into a rueful smile, "but I don't like asking for help; hell, I don't really even like needing help. I grew up alone. No one took care of me. I did it all. Raised myself. Relying on people was new to me when I got to school. Hermione, Ron, all of my friends, I knew they were there for me. But I still tried to go it alone most of the time. Out of habit, or pride, I don't really know. They refused to let me, but that didn't mean I liked it. To me, needing someone was dangerous...for them, for me."

Draco nodded. "I can relate."

"You can, can't you? I think we are more alike than we are different."

"I wouldn't go that far."

Potter laughed and Draco was sure if he only ever heard one sound the rest of his life, he wanted it to be that laugh. "Okay, fine, but we are both stubborn and prideful, you have to admit that."

"Speak for yourself." A smile spread across Draco's face. Potter laughed again and eyed him seriously, which made Draco's heart pound. "Okay, fine. Yes. I am stubborn and prideful, too, there, happy?"

"That being said," Potter closed the distance between them. "I want you in my life, Malfoy."

"As your partner."

"If that's all you want, yes, but I was thinking more along the lines of what you told me at St. Mungo's."

"Potter, you can't be serious?"

"Can't I?" Potter reached out and grabbed Draco's robes, fisting the fabric to pull him closer. "Is it terribly forward if I said I wanted you to kiss me?"

Draco barely hid the smile on his face. "A bit forward, yes."

"Is it also forward if I say that I've been thinking about your lips all day and that if you don't put me out of my misery soon and kiss me, I might…"

Draco didn't let Potter finish that thought. He crashed his lips to meet Potter's and lost himself in the taste of his partner. Things were heading in a very satisfactory direction before Potter broke away and said, "It was clear that we were both right about why the potion affected me so much, right?"

"Merlin fuck, Potter, you really will be the death of me."

"Maybe," he agreed breathlessly. "But not until after." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Fuck," Draco breathed out. His head felt light. He couldn't think, and his body flush against Potter's was doing nothing to help.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm getting at." Potter caught his mouth again and ran his fingers down Draco's jawline, his fingers continuing down to undo the button of Draco's collar.

Draco went hot all over as Potter's hand touched him. He laughed into their kiss, feeling Potter smile. The fireplace crackled, the only noise in the room beside their breathless moans as Potter slipped Draco's robe off and did to him what Draco had been dying to do each time he laid eyes on Potter.

The End


End Note: This work is part of the Seven Shades of Sin anthology, a series of Drarry fics exploring the seven deadly sins. Please see this account's Author Profile for more information on the anthology, the collective, and each individual author.