I know, it takes a while for Harry/Draco to emerge but it does happen.  Harry is coming.  The groundwork just needs to be laid.  I did say it would be ten years after Hogwarts and this is only two.  Thank you for getting this far in a fic that I was hesitant to post because I feared the ignorant reaction like I responded to below.

Thanks to those who reviewed:

Nadua:  I'm sorry, perhaps while you were "reading" my story you also became devoid of a brain.  You seem to think this is a female character story but had you read the summary you'd notice that this is clearly a Harry/Draco fic and that Melody will be going bye-bye in upcoming chapters.  Maybe you should have given some time to this before you flamed me for writing it.  You say its OOC and while that's true if you're thinking of Draco in terms of the fourth book, I'd like to point out that Draco is twenty years old, two years after Hogwarts and six years after his fourth year. Unless I'm living in a society where people are stagnant and change is only a fairy-tale, I was under the impression that I clearly delineating that things happened, which I'll be going further to in the future because no one in their right mind gives away the story in the prologue, to Draco that caused him to do the things he's doing.  So no, I did not forget his prejudice against muggles.  It is pointed out (and if it wasn't, it will be in the future) that when he left home, he was too burned by the magical world to remain in it and decided to try something new.  And it wouldn't be the first time someone got pregnant by accident, certainly won't be the last.  As for your eloquent comment, Whatever, I have only to say:  Put away you early-nineties valley-girl speak.  It will not fly with me.  If you think pudding is boring, go read something else. Don't spend two chapters "reading" a story that you obviously didn't like.  And for your information, her name is Cherish, not Charity.  Way to really "read" a story.

Anyone who said nice things, thank for paying enough attention to the details and actually reading the story to see that I was clearly explaining why the situation is the situation it is unlike some people who automatically claim themselves rulers of all that is Harry Potter.  Any fans of this story, my "baby", you are held the highest in my regard.  It is obviously rare to find someone who does not have their head shoved permanently up their ass.

ClarKeRaVen:  Thank you very much for your review.  As I've said, the holes are there for a purpose and I hope they'll be filled in for my readers.  If they aren't, at least people will get laughs out of Joel, who consequently just keeps getting stranger and stranger.  I appreciate your comments.  It's nice to know someone was paying attention to the details.

~Kiara

Not JK Rowling.  Don't own Harry Potter.  Anything you recognize is hers, anything you don't is mine including the plot and Mr. Joel Montgomery.  I am making no money off this trifle of a story.

*~*~*~*~*

Rolling over in bed, Draco fell off the edge of the mattress bringing an array of sheets and blankets with him on the descent that was anything but graceful.  As he pulled the blankets away from his body and threw them back onto the bed, Draco groaned and stood up, rubbing the offended flesh of his lower back where the floor had assaulted him.  Cherish was crying from her crib and Draco wiped the sleep from his eyes as he made his way over to his daughter.

"Morning, babe," said Draco in a dreary, sleepy voice as he lifted Cherish from her crib.  She continued to wail.  "I know.  I know.  You're hungry, you're irritable, and you hate mornings.  Welcome to the real world.  It sucks.  You're going to love it."

Cradling Cherish close into his chest, Draco rubbed her back and headed out of his bedroom in the direction of the kitchen.  Joel was already up, sitting at the counter and downing what looked to be like a very strong cup of black coffee.  As Joel was most mornings, he wore a frown on his face and only offered Draco a grunt of a hello when he emerged.  Sitting Cherish in the playpen, Draco headed to the kitchen to make her a bottle, still half asleep himself and not looking like he was faring off much better than Joel.

"Hey," grunted Draco, his voice still deep and groggy from sleep.

Joel groaned.  "I had the weirdest dream."

"You always have the weirdest dreams."  Joel thought about this for a second then nodded.  "Shouldn't that be a good thing?  You're strangest dreams always seem to turn into your best stories."

Shrugging, Joel said, "I guess so.  Maybe I can get over this case of writer's block."

"Let's hope so.  So what happened?"

"Uh-I was back in high school only it wasn't a regular high school.  It was like, a high school for witches or something."

Draco dropped the bottle he had been holding, eyes going wide and now feeling fully alert.  "Really."

Oblivious, Joel wiped his eyes and nodded.  "Yeah.  It was this magic school and you and Melody were there, too.  Mel was a witch and you were a wizard, I guess.  I was the weirdest dream.  We were fighting this guy with really bad hair.  He needed to work out too because I'll tell you, this wizard was scrawny."

"Well not everyone can be as sculpted and manly as you, Joel."

"I know that.  Look at you."  Draco scowled, still visibly shaking as he pulled Cherish from the playpen and sat down on the couch, feeding her.

"Funny.  So what are you going to do with it?  Story springboard like the crazy girl with the poison or just a dream, like the one where I got baked into a potato pie?"  Draco waited with bated breath.

Wandering over to where Draco was sitting, Joel dropped into the cushion beside him.  "Story springboard.  I already wrote down everything I could remember.  You want to be my right hand man?"

"Aren't I always?"

"Excellent.  You're the best critic.  You'll tell me if my story's reeking.  I think this is going to be a novel, though."

"Novel?" asked Draco, cocking an eyebrow.  "That's a step up, now isn't it?"

"Yeah.  You know what?  I need to sell a story soon because I'm finding it rather inconvenient that we don't have a kitchen table."

"It's been five days, Joel.  You can't be suffering that badly.  Didn't you just sell a story to Playboy, anyway?"

"Yeah but I celebrated with the pudding."

"Which is still in our tub.  It's almost been a week, Joel.  I'm sick of going across the hall when I need to piss."

"When we get rid of the pudding, you can piss in our bathroom again.  Until then, no one is going to do anything in that bathroom that could possibly contaminate what is most likely the one and only thing I will have ever cooked that ended us tasting good."

Draco sighed.  "I see your point.  So what's today's agenda?"

"Prewriting for this novel, working on the short story, eating some of that pudding, and the gym.  Maybe the tanning booth, too.  I hate getting pale and pasty in the winter."

"I'm pale and pasty all year long.  What do you need to go to the tanning booth for, anyway.  Pale and pasty would be the last adjectives I'd use to describe you.  You're always about a million shades darker than me."

"Yeah, what's up with that?  Are you just naturally that pale?"

"My whole family is," replied Draco.  "Cherish probably will be, too."

"Same thing with the hair?"  Draco nodded.  "Your hair kind of intimidates me.  I've never seen hair that platinum before except on babies."

Shrugging, Draco finished feeding Cherish and had put her back in the playpen before grabbing himself a cup of coffee.  "I'm tiny, blond, and pale.  All Malfoy traits."

"You're family must be one hell of a bunch to look at."  Draco shrugged.

He hadn't really thought about it before because of growing up in it, but now that he was living away from his family and the wizarding world all together, he supposed that the sight of a Malfoy family reunion would probably be quite odd to see.  It was something that he noticed right away when arriving in New York, though he didn't really seem to stick out due to the exotic ways that muggles seemed to be dressing and accessorizing here.  Next to Joel, especially, Draco was suddenly aware of his petit and fine features.

Joel was tall, tan, rugged, and Draco got the distinct impression that when the phrase tall, dark, and handsome had been uttered, the speaker was talking about Joel.  From what he learned about muggle fashion, the only thing Draco and Joel had in common was their expensive taste in clothes and a lack of money to acquire said articles of clothing.  Samantha often said they were like two pathetic high school girls with the way they would visit clothing, promising that one day they would buy it.  He supposed these things were the main reason Joel was never home on Friday nights and when he was, Draco was out because hearing Joel's headboard bang against the wall wasn't his ideal way of spending the night.

While Draco was dressing Cherish for the day, Joel went across the hall to Samantha and Melody's apartment to take a shower.  When he returned, Draco left Cherish with Joel and headed over to take his own shower.  The girls' apartment was empty since they both worked in the morning, Samantha at Macy's and Melody at Bloomingdales.  Seeing the door to Melody's room, Draco felt a sense of guilt but he tried to ignore it and headed into the bathroom to clean up for the day.

Stepping under the hot spray, Draco thought of Joel's new novel idea and he wondered how he was going to be able to sit back and watch Joel write the book without having a heart attack.  While the thought unsettled him to be having his roommate writing about witches and wizards, Draco was always the person Joel came to with his stories first and Draco read them obligingly, critiquing along the way.  There was no way he could stop now without becoming suspicious and part of him didn't know if the heart attack was going to come from the obvious reaction to something so similar to what his old life had been or if it would come from the bitter reactions that were bound to ensue when Joel got something inaccurate about the wizarding world.

As much as he would hate to admit it, he knew that both options were going to drive him crazy but the latter would be the one to drive him over the edge.  All it would take would be for Joel to put something like ribbon on the magic wands and Draco would go into a hissy fit.  Draco figured that, for his sanity, it wouldn't hurt to give Joel a gentle nudge in the right direction and if Joel didn't go for that, Draco would give him a shove.

Climbing out of the shower, Draco wrapped a towel around his waist and went to brush his teeth.  After drying off, washing his face, and dressing in sweats for a lazy day of lying around since he had the day off, Draco headed back across the hall to his own apartment.

"I was thinking," said Draco as he stepped inside, "that maybe I could help you come up with stuff for the novel.  You know.  I could help come up with places like wizarding towns and all the special wizard items."

"I didn't even think of that shit," said Joel.  "I don't even really have a plot."

"The plot is all yours but I'll help with details.  I got some ideas in the shower."

"Cool."  Joel shrugged and reached over to the coffee table, grabbing a notebook and pen.  "Let's get started."

"Okay.  First off, they're witches and wizards, right?  They should have wands."

"Magic wands?"  Draco nodded.  "What kind of wands?  Like fairy wands?"

Visibly grimacing, Draco shook his head.  "No.  Just strips of wood.  Say that every wand is different.  No two wands are the same just as no two people are the same.  In the core of the wood can be some sort of magical substance like unicorn hair, dragon heartstring, or phoenix feathers.  And the wand should choose the wizard kind of in the way that you say a genre chooses the writer."

"I think you think about this stuff too much."

"I'm just imaginative and so far, all your stuff has been mundane."

"Point taken.  Don't have to get snappy."  Draco grinned.  "So what else you got?"

"Robes."

"Robes?"

"Yes.  They should wear robes.  Cloaks.  That kind of thing."

Joel shrugged.  "Okay."

"And they can send their mail by owl."

"Owl?  Draco, did you hit your head in that shower?"

"No.  I just thought they could send their mail by owl.  Tie letters to the owl's leg and such.  The Owl Post."

Joel made a note in his notebook.  "Owls it is.  You got anything else?"

"Of course," said Draco with a smirk.  "They can call non-magic people muggles."

"How does one spell 'muggle'?"

Draco spelled the word out for him.  "Should I keep going?"

"My god, Draco, what do you do with your spare time?  Sit around and think of what it would be like to be a wizard."

"Actually, sometimes," he replied, trying to force away the painful memory of just walking down Diagon Alley or being able to use his wand.  If he would have known back in Hogwarts that two weeks after Hogwarts he was going to be packing away his wand never to use it again, Draco would have taken far better care of it.  "You make pudding in bathtubs, I can surely want to be a wizard."

"I never said you'd couldn't.  Keep going."

"Okay.  Well they have classes, right?  Their classes can be things like Potions, and Charms, and Transfiguration.  They can fly on broomsticks."

"I always wanted to fly on a broomstick," mused Joel, making a note.  Suddenly Draco missed his old Firebolt very much.

"Me too," he half whispered.

Most of the day involved Draco and Joel tossing ideas back and forth for Joel's upcoming novel.  Whenever Joel would suggest something, Draco would nudge it in the right direction to become something that was factual in the wizarding world.  The part of Draco before that didn't want this novel to get written was gone and he was instead filled with anticipation.  If he couldn't go home, maybe he could somewhat live out life as a wizard through Joel and the new novel.

Somewhere around three, the door to their apartment opened and Melody strolled in, dropping her purse on the counter and flopping down into an armchair opposite where the boys were sitting on the couch.

"What're you guys doing?"

"I had this weird dream that I'm channeling into a story.  Draco has been actually useful today, too."

"Wow," she said, taking a sit of the coke in her hand.  "And what is this story about?"

"These kids who go to a school for witches and wizards and get into a lot of trouble," said Joel, grinning.

"We figured that getting into trouble was Joel's specialty," added Draco.

Melody scrunched up her nose and for a second, Draco thought she looked a lot like his mother.  "You can't be serious!"

"Why not?" asked Joel, putting his notebook back on the coffee table.

"Because all that stuff about witches and wizards and magic is nonsense.  It's sinful.  It goes against God's power.  Its disgusting how the media just accepts and exploits the whole witch and wizard myth.  If any such creatures did exist, all of their powers would be sinful anyway.  They'd be the devil incarnate."

Draco stared at his girlfriend, gaping.  He didn't know whether to find this funny or offensive.  Here she was calling all wizards evil when he, himself, was a wizard.  Not only that, but she was in love with him.

"Its only fiction, Mel," said Joel.  "Relax."

"No I will not," she replied.  "That stuff is evil.  I can't believe you're actually condoning something like this.  If magic did exist, it would be a tool of Satan."

"First off, Melody, if magic did exist, it would not be a tool of Satan," Draco cut in.  "Magic would be used depending on the one wielding such power.  You're condemning Joel for even thinking about writing something that's fiction because magic is a tool of Satan?"

"What's your problem, Draco?" she snapped.  "I was just expressing my opinion."

"No, you flat out told us that it was a tool of Satan.  You said it like it was a fact."

"It is a fact.  If you actually went to church, you'd know that."

"At least I don't go to church and pretend to be holier than thou when I've got an illegitimate child back at home."

"You know what," said Joel, "I think I'm going to go for a walk.  Meanwhile, you both need to chill out."  Carefully avoiding them, Joel walked out of the apartment and gently shut the door behind him.

"See what you did," she snapped at him.  "Because you had to be petty, and by the way, she's your illegitimate child as well, you chased Joel out."

"Oh, I'm sorry.  Did you want to chastise him some more?  And for those who care, I know that Cherish is my illegitimate child.  I just said that I don't go to church pretending like I don't have a child out of wedlock."

"I wouldn't have a child out of wedlock if you'd just marry me."

"I'm not going to marry you just because we have a daughter.  I would end up resenting you, you would resent me, and Cherish would resent us both."

"Why would you resent me?  I wouldn't resent you.  I love you, remember."

Draco sighed, running a hand through his hair.  "Is that what this attitude you've having with me lately is about?  Because I won't marry you?"

"I didn't have an attitude.  If anyone had an attitude, it would be you.  All I did was tell you the truth on what magic really is and you started freaking out at me."

"I started freaking out on you because you started preaching to me and Joel.  All Joel is trying to do is write a fucking story.  Fiction.  Look it up in the goddamn dictionary sometime, you narcissistic egomaniac."

"Don't you speak to me like that, Draco Malfoy."

"I'll speak to you however I'd like.  This is America and as I've learned by moving here, freedom of speech is available to me if I so choose to use it.  I'm not going to marry you, Melody.  We are not going to have a happy, picture perfect ending where we ride off into the sunset on a white horse making daisy chains.  I'm too fucked up for that and my heart still belongs too much to someone else."

"The mysterious ex.  You know, Draco, it's been two years.  If you were going to do this, why did you get involved with me anyway?"

"I don't know, okay?  I don't.  Maybe I was trying to get over him.  I don't know."

"So it was a him?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.  "I think that's the first detail we ever got out of you.  You usually play the gender game."

Draco couldn't help the glare that escaped him.  "Fuck.  You.  I can't be here right now.  Goodbye, Melody."

With his last words, Draco walked over to the playpen where Cherish was laying.  He pulled on his own coat and gloves, dressing Cherish for the cold, and left the apartment with his daughter, too afraid that if he didn't, this would be that time when he'd lose Cherish forever.  His feet carried him in the direction of the coffee house as he pulled Cherish closer into his body.  Draco didn't realize how fast his feet were carrying him until he was stopped just outside the doors, pushed through with his free hand, and walked over to the counter.  Gwen was looking very bored sweeping the floor.

"I thought you don't work today," she said, setting her broom aside.

"I don't," he replied.  "I got into a fight with Melody."

She gave him a sympathetic smile and came around the counter to give him a small hug.  "I'm sorry.  Do you want something?  We can talk about it."

"Just coffee.  Black.  Oh.  And a scone."

Gwen smiled, getting him what he had asked for and sliding it before him.  Taking Cherish out of his arms, she cuddled the little girl as Draco began to eat.  "So what happened?"

"It was the stupidest thing.  I was helping Joel with this new novel he started.  It has to do with witches and wizards and all that magic hoopla.  Mel came in and she got all up in arms about it.  Said magic was a tool of Satan and I just snapped.  Started yelling at her for acting like she was model Christian of the year.  That drifted to the whole marriage issue and ended with me telling her that I was never going to marry her because my heart still belongs to the mysterious ex."

"Ouch.  That was cold."

"I know but I was angry."  Draco rubbed at his temples.  "I'm going to have to apologize but now she knows that I don't want to marry her.  Ever."

"Did she call you on the mysterious ex card?"

"Yeah and I was so angry I let a detail slip."

"You?  Mister I'm so anal retentively secret and private about my ex from high school that I won't even tell them the name or gender?"

"Yes," he moaned.

"Well now that you've slipped, you want to tell me?"

"Why not?  I let it slip to Mel that it was a he."

"A he?  Aw.  You're so cute that you're blushing.  Will you tell me his name or am I forced to guess?"

"Gwen-"

"If you tell me his name, I promise that I won't press you for what happened.  I already know that it ended because of something to do with your father and the fall out with your father is why you're here in New York.  That's all I need to know unless you decide to tell me.  But just a name?  Please?  I'll guess.  Is it Orion?"

"Not everyone from England has a constellation for their name," he replied.

"I'm sorry.  I love your name.  You know that.  So what was his name?"

Draco sighed.  "Harry."

"Is there a last name that goes with that or am I pushing my luck?"

"You were pushing your luck five minutes ago but you've caught me vulnerable."

She shrugged.  "It was worth a try."

"Potter."

"What?"

"His name was Potter.  Harry Potter.  Fucking Harry Potter."  Draco dropped his head into his hands.

"What the hell are you doing here?" came a voice and Draco looked up to see Samantha standing there, Joel beside her.  "Aw, let me hold Cher."  Gwen handed Cherish to Samantha and they sat down with Draco.

"I hate it when you call her Cher."

"That's only because for the first week Cher was born, every time I called her it, Joel broke out into a rousing chorus of 'If I Could Turn Back Time,'" replied Samantha.

"So what are you doing here?" asked Joel.

"The fight you saw start ended when I left with Cherish."

"The conversation apparently drifted to the marriage issue and Draco told her that his heart still belonged to someone else.  She pulled out the mysterious ex card and he was so flustered that he let the gender slip," explained Gwen.

Samantha and Joel looked to Draco, pleasantly surprised.  "Do we finally get a detail," pressed Samantha.  "We now the basic story but do we actually get a gender to go with it?  If you don't tell me, Mel will."

"I got a gender and a name to deal with."

"Shut up!" said Samantha, gaping.  "You got a name?"  Gwen nodded.

"Let's hear it," said Joel, poking Draco in the arm.  "Gender and name.  Come on, Draco.  Give in to the pressure."

"Its a he and his name was Harry Potter," snapped Draco, feeling very tired and dizzy.

"Success," said Samantha.  "It's about time we get a name to work with."

"Did your father's issue have to do with the homosexual thing?" asked Joel.  Draco, figuring this was a much better explanation than the real one, nodded.  "Okay.  I won't ask any more questions - Well - except one.  Can I borrow forty bucks?"

"What do you need forty bucks for?"

"I have a date tonight."

"Didn't you just get a check from Playboy?"

"I spent it on the pudding celebrating.  I already told you that."

Draco sighed, reaching into his pocket and handed over forty dollars.  "You're paying me back for that, you know.  I'm a waiter.  I live on tips and the tips aren't that good."

"You live on that small fortune you brought over with you from London.  Your tips are excess money that I like to borrow."

"No, I live on my tips.  My small fortune that I brought over from London is for things like bills and new kitchen tables.  Don't forget you still owe me for the air conditioners."

"Yeah yeah."

"You guys, I need a real job.  I need to go to college.  Hey, Gwen, can you pick up some materials for me when you go back to school?"

"Sure.  You interested in Fordham?"

"I'm interested in anything.  I don't know what I want to do but I want to do something other than being a waiter for the rest of my life.  Once my fund runs out on Joel's stupidity, I'm going to need more than tip money."

"And God knows that Joel's going to need the money, being a struggling writer and all."

"Shut up, Sam," snapped Joel, grinning.  "I'd love to stay here and chat, but I've got a bombshell to pick up.  Thanks for the loan, Draco."

"Yeah," he replied.  "I suppose we should be getting back."

"Yeah," said Samantha.  "Come on.  You can complain about Melody the whole way home."

Handing Cherish over to Draco, Samantha put an arm around her friend's shoulder and led him out of the coffee shop and into the New York evening.

*~*~*~*~*

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