Just a collective thank you to those who read and review this story. And thanks to those who responded to my beta ad. The first chapter to said story has been sent to my betas and I hope to have it up on Friday. It's darker than this fic (a lot darker) but if you like dark stories, please do me a favor and look for it. Thanks.
Excuse my spelling mistakes. This is my pre-beta days.
Not JK Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter or the entire world within. Anything you recognize would belong to her. Anything you don't would belong to me, including the crack!plot of this trifle of a story. I am (obviously) making no money off this though if you really want to sue me, I've got $10.00. Good day.
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Draco opened his eyes and stared across his bedroom to the light streaming in through the window. He was about to climb out of bed when he felt the cotton of his sheets moving with a rough yet sweet friction against his nude form. The events of yesterday came toppling down on him, scenes from the diner, Joel's apartment, and even his own apartment played over in his head.
He had woken up and the day was just like any other day. After walking Cherish to school, he returned home, dressed for work, and arrived early at the diner to catch Francois come out of the back and mutter something about mice. In his bitter, unhappy little French accent, he and Draco set out for the search for the mouse he claimed he saw but after an extensive search, Draco was convinced that no such mouse existed and they opened up for business. Friday was always excruciating with rude and boisterous customers but his heart had nearly stopped when he came out of the back and saw the Gryffindor trio in the diner.
Ron had been an incorrigible prat but Hermione had been rather nice about things. Harry was stiff and avoidant but Draco made it a point to remain professional. Joel came in, walking Cherish back from school like he always did because Draco didn't like her wandering the streets of New York on his own. It wasn't that he didn't trust her or didn't think she could handle herself in the city, but he didn't want her to wander over to Broadway and blow her entire allowance on the Virgin Megastore again. His overprotective nature did him in and his old schoolmates overheard everything Joel had to say about the declining events in his life over the past ten years.
Cherish had forced them to talk. Draco clearly remembered that and now Harry was his boyfriend for the second time in his life. He had run away from the wizarding world and from London only to have Harry Potter back in his life, more accurately, back in his bed. They had decided to be together and after Joel got drunk on the balcony, Harry and Draco went back across the hall. It took all of five minutes before Harry had him trapped up against the door, his hands roaming over Draco's body in sweet touches, his breath ghosting over the warm and flushed skin of his cheeks.
Harry had kissed him, tasted him, and stripped Draco free of his clothing before leading him into his bedroom. Not only had it been a long time since Harry but it had been a long time all together and Draco found his body more than ready to react to the touches. Going for so long without the feelings of pleasure and gratification that sex can give, Draco's mind just about exploded when he was reacquainted. Harry had moved above him, inside him, touching him with love and the kind of yearning that only a ten year separation can bring.
It was all very unbelievable yet happening and Draco was having a hard time keeping his mind up to pace with the events turning around. Checking the clock on the night table, he saw that it was 8:30 and he groaned, burying his face back into his pillow. He had the morning off but Francois would want him in at 3:00 whether he had just been reunited with his long lost love or not. There was a sense in his mind of things being very surreal. Harry had been gone for so long and it was very strange for Draco to think that they had just made love the night before. He knew he had missed Harry but now he realized just how much.
His thoughts were interrupted as he felt an arm wrap around his waist, palm laying flat against his stomach, and a thumb drew circles on the exposed flesh of his stomach. Harry's breath was hot on the back of his neck, sweet, and the sound of him breathing seemed amplified in the silent shelter of his bedroom. It was as if no one else in the world existed but the two of them and the setting of their reunion both as a couple and as lovers.
"Good morning," said Draco, turning his face only slightly so that his words wouldn't be drowned in the fluff of the pillow.
"Good morning," Harry whispered into his ear, his lips brushing over his ear. "How did you sleep?"
"Better than I have in a long time. You?"
"The same. We always were on the same wavelength, weren't we?"
"Mmm," he moaned, leaning back into Harry. "I like waking up with you."
"It's been a very long time, hasn't it?"
"Yeah," he said, sighing as he thought of the last night they had spent together in the Head Boy room.
It had been a few days before they broke up, after Draco had made the decision to do so but before he was sure of whether he would be able to go through with it or not. Harry had snuck down to the dungeons like he so often did but after they made love in the privacy of the Head Boy room, Draco had asked him to stay. Most of the time Harry would leave except for special occasions, both of them worried that someone beside Ron and Hermione would miss him and wonder where he spent the night. Harry had been hesitant but Draco pointed out that they would be leaving Hogwarts soon, the guiding force in his words being that he knew they would be leaving each other. After persuasion, Harry had caved, not really wanting to leave Draco anyway, and he had settled under the blankets for the night. They never bothered to dress, sleeping naked wrapped in each other's limbs much like they would ten years later in New York City.
When Draco had awoken, he had found Harry settled in his arms and still fast asleep. He had been mumbling Draco's name in his sleep and his disheveled black hair had parted enough to show the thin scar on his forehead, an ever constant reminder of the complications with them being together. It was then that he knew he needed to break up with Harry. He couldn't be selfish. Their relationship could kill the both of them and Harry didn't need to have Draco as a weakness when it came to Voldemort. He knew Harry would hate him, but it was better that then loving him and dying for it.
"What are you thinking about?" said Harry, breaking his thought process. He tried to force a smile but it faltered and he was left with a forlorn, sardonic grimace. "That doesn't look good. I'm sorry. Was that a bad question to ask?"
"No," he said, soft, and turning over in Harry's arms. "Let me hold you."
Harry didn't ask questions though there was a light in his eyes, a nosy light that Draco recognized from their years at Hogwarts that showed he clearly wanted to. He shifted, turned, and let Draco's arms slide around him. His hands skirted up Draco's sides from behind until he found his fingers. Twining their fingers together, Harry brought them out from beneath the blankets and let them rest on the green material.
"I was thinking about our last night together."
"Me too," admitted Harry. "I thought you loved me that night."
"I did love you that night. I loved you every night. I loved you before we even became a couple. Do you remember why we even got together?"
"I remember everything about being with you. I came out to the Gryffindors and they treated me okay. Even the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs were okay. It was the Slytherins that were awful except for you. I remember how strange that was. Out of all the people who ridiculed me, you weren't one of them. Then you cornered me after Potions one day, said you wanted to talk. I was hesitant but I agreed."
"And we missed dinner while I poured my heart out to you. I didn't even know what I was saying, all I knew was that I got about ten words into the speech I had planned in my head when I burst into tears and told you I was bisexual."
"Yeah. You didn't tell anyone because you knew the Slytherins would react to you the way they reacted to me. I didn't know what to say to you."
"You said you'd be my friend."
"I know. I don't know why I said it. It just slipped out. After I said it, I thought for sure that you'd tell me to sod off because you didn't want to be friends with me but you didn't. You said that you'd like that. And we became friends."
"I told you everything, Harry. I don't think you realized it then but no one knew even half as much about me as you did. I trusted you completely. I trusted you with my life."
"You're right. I didn't realize it. I just knew that you spilled everything to me. You talked about your father and the Death Eaters and I tried to convince you that you didn't have to serve Voldemort. Sometimes I thought I was going to get through to you."
"You did get through to me. I objected when the time came, didn't I?"
"Yeah, I guess you did."
"That's what made me fall in love with you, Harry. You cared. No one ever cared about me the way that you did. Everyone judged me for so long but you were the first person who looked beyond the Malfoy name to see what I had to offer. I remember you asking me what else I could do. You said you knew I was good at Potions and that my father thought I would make an excellent Death Eater, but you wanted to know what was beneath the Malfoy and who Draco was."
"Yeah," said Harry, softly. "I remember that. I can't believe you do."
"Of course I do. That was when I fell in love with you. You made me see that I wasn't just a Malfoy. You made me understand that I didn't have to be who my father was. I've loved you ever since."
"Then why did you break up with me? If you knew you didn't have to go down that road, why did you break up with me?"
"I thought I had to," he admitted. "I thought that I had no choice. We were too much in love. I thought that if I didn't, it was like signing your death sentence. My father wanted me to become a Death Eater. You made me see I had choices, I just didn't think I was strong enough to follow my own road. I thought that if I wasn't strong enough, I would become a Death Eater and you would foolishly allow your love for me to get in the way of defeating Voldemort. If I broke up with you, I thought you would hate me and then you wouldn't love me anymore. Then it wouldn't be my fault if you let Voldemort kill you."
"You're an idiot, you know that?" said Harry.
"I love you, too."
"No, I mean it. You went through this hell for ten years and all because you didn't want me to die."
"The past ten years may have been hell but they were destined to happen. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I've discovered so much living here as a muggle, and now I have my daughter, too. Sometimes I regret what I did, but I know it happened for a reason."
"I thought you didn't believe in fate."
"I didn't but now I do. I didn't believe in God, or Satan, or hell and heaven before I moved here, either. My daughter grew up with a faith other than Voldemort. Whenever I regret breaking up with you, I just remind myself that I wouldn't have Cherish if it wouldn't have happened. That always tends to make the regret go away."
"You love her very much."
"Yeah, but I also love you very much."
Harry placed his hands on either side of Draco's face, brought him close and brushed his lips over Draco's. He smiled, sat up in bed, and rumpled the covers around his waist and he slid over to the side of the bed. "I'm going to have to go back to the hotel this morning. I want to write Dumbledore and get my things. Can I borrow something until then?"
"Go ahead," said Draco, laying back in bed as he watched Harry walk over to his closet and dig through the clothes until he found something he deemed suitable. "Do we really have to write Dumbledore?"
"I think we should. He'll probably find out anyway."
"That crazy old man knows everything. Its rather creepy if you ask me. How did he even know I was living in New York? He probably already knows we're back together."
"I don't know. Maybe he's a seer."
"But then why would he keep Trelawney around?"
"Maybe she amuses him."
"He does have a rather sadistic sense of humor."
"Yes, there's much to the headmaster that remains a mystery."
Once dressed, Harry kissed Draco goodbye to head back to the hotel. Draco had showered, dressed, and eaten breakfast in the time Harry was gone. He wandered across the hall a half hour later, knocking once on Joel's door before entering. Hermione was nursing Ron, who was dealing with what seemed to be a rather nasty hangover, by the couch. Joel was lounged on the ground, mumbling about too much alcohol and he recognized it as the speech Joel gave himself every time he had a hangover, vowing never to drink again.
"Hi, Daddy," said Cherish from the kitchen table. Samantha and Joel's two children, Devin and Andrea, were seated by her with the three children from the diner that he presumed to be the Weasley children. "I heard you and Harry spent the night together."
"Did you get laid?" asked Joel from the floor, wincing at the volume of his voice booming in his own head.
Draco turned a rather intense shade of red, the crimson highly visible against his usually pale skin. Joel snickered.
"Guess that answers my question," he said. "Good job, Draco. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks," he muttered. "Hey, babe, you almost done with breakfast? I thought I'd come pick you up."
"Yep. Where's Harry?"
"He went back to the hotel to get his things."
"So he's moving in with us?"
"For the remainder of his holiday, yes. Is that alright with you?"
"Alright? I'm the one who offered."
"Is he sending a letter to Dumbledore?" asked Hermione as she handed Ron a glass of water.
"Yeah. I don't see the reason to tell the crazy old koot. He probably knows already, anyway."
"Well someone from the wizarding world should know where you've been for ten years. Even if he does know, a confirmation would be nice. He'll want to know that his obvious attempt at a plan was successful. We should have known something was up when Albus kept reminding us of how cultured and wonderful New York would be for the children this time of year."
"Yes you should have but I won't protest. You ready, Cherish?"
"Yep." She walked over to him still in her clothes from the day before as she had not brought a change of clothing along with.
"Let's take you home so you can shower and change. I have to work today but I'm sure Harry won't mind watching you while I'm gone. You can bond."
"Can I come visit?" asked Joel.
"Sure!" said Cherish at the same time Draco said, "Absolutely not."
"I'll be over, Cher," promised Joel, giving her a thumbs up before he covered his head with a pillow and moaned something that sounded like, "bright lights."
Cherish had showered, dressed, and was seated at the kitchen table with Draco trying to come up with something about England for her to write her report about when Harry returned. He came in with his bags and smiled at the sight he was greeted by. Her legs were dangling beneath the table, her chin propped up in her hand, and Draco was writing something in a notebook. Passing them, Harry took his things to Draco's room before returning and taking an empty seat by them.
"Okay, Harry, you were raised muggle. Help us come up with something for Cherish to write a report about."
"I have to write a report on something in my heritage," explained Cherish. "I told my teacher that Daddy moved to New York from England and after she got done being excited over that, she told me to write something about there. All the girls got really excited. They wanted to know if Daddy had a British accent and if I had relatives that still lived over there."
"Did they really?" asked Draco, amused. She nodded.
"You could write about the monarchy," suggested Harry. "Not exactly the most exciting material but your teacher would probably like that you picked something like government and I can actually help you with that. It isn't like you could write about your real heritage. Imagine that. 'Well, my daddy is a wizard and his boyfriend is a wizard, too. They went to a wizard school in Scotland. There was this rather bad wizard named Voldemort who tried to kill Daddy's boyfriend and so he's got this scar on his forehead that everyone stares at.'"
Draco snickered. "A little bitter about the scar, Potter?"
"A little."
"Don't forget the Owl Post. Everyone loves the Owl Post."
"I don't see why. That blasted Pigwidgeon didn't want to cooperate this morning when I tried to owl Dumbledore."
"Weasley still has that fuzzy little Snitch?"
"Yes and its very old now. Starting to fail us terribly just like Errol was. Still far too excited for its own good, however."
"Or she could write about Quidditch. You practically have 'Quidditch Through the Ages' memorized by heart. We could get Ron over here and he could talk about the Chudley Cannons for her. I did play Seeker, you know."
"And I did catch the Snitch before you every game we played against each other."
"No need to go there, Harry. I don't want to be terribly embarrassed in front of my daughter. She still loves me."
"And I'll love you forever, Daddy," she said, giving him a hug. "I can't wait until you go to work. Harry is going to have so much to tell me that you won't want me to know. I can hardly wait."
"I bet you can't, you rotten little girl."
She gave him a big, toothy grin and Harry started to help her with her assignment as Draco went to get ready for work. After lunch, Harry and Cherish set out for the library to do research and Draco was left for an hour listening to Mr. Garen, the tenant with the apartment above his, tromp around like a pack of wild hippogriffs. He would've complained but he had a job to get to, so Draco set out for the diner trying to mentally prepare himself for customers while the Weasley's voice hissed in the back of his head about being a server.
"Draco," said Francois as he entered and strutted up to him. "Zer is a mouse in ze kitchen."
"You said that yesterday, Francois. There is no mouse."
"You say zat now but will you be so confident when ze mouse comes after you?"
"I'll believe in the mouse when I see it. How's business today?" He brushed past Francois and headed behind the counter where Gabrielle was punching in.
"Terrible," said Gabrielle before Francois could say anything. "Tips are horrible and Francois is scaring everyone else away with his incessant whining about mice."
"Fabulous. Just what I need to hear when starting a shift. There is no mouse."
"That's what I told him but he won't listen."
"Zer is a mouse back zere and you two 'ad better find it before it drives away ze rest of ze customers."
"Or maybe you should stop talking about it before you drive away 'ze rest of our customers.'"
"Do not mock me, Draco. Zis is a very important issue."
"Yes, Francois."
"Do not patronize me. I will not tolerate patronization. Ze mouse must be found. It is a filzy creature and I do not like it 'abitating in my establishment." He raised a finger during his harangue and began shaking it at Draco. Gabrielle rolled her eyes as she headed for the staff door.
"I'm going to look for the non-existent mouse. If by some miracle of God we have a rush of customers, come get me."
"Okay," said Draco, smirking as she disappeared into the back. He wished he would have been faster. Then he could be the one looking for alleged mouse while Gabrielle was dealing with Francois.
The day had been much like Gabrielle said. Only around dinner time was there any sort of rush when Gabrielle had to come out and help serve. Francois had been so caught up in the madness that he hadn't had the time to mention the mouse to any of the customers. Tips were terrible and Draco found himself wishing death on many of the customers when he would get stiffed. Every so often he would find himself itching his fingers toward his pocket where his wand had been placed. He didn't know how it got there, he certainly couldn't remember putting it there when he got dressed this morning, but it was there all the same. He couldn't wait to go home and away from Francois.
Turning the doorknob to his apartment, Draco just wanted to hug Cherish goodnight and collapse in bed next to Harry before falling asleep. All hopes were diminished as he took off his apron, tossed it on the kitchen table, and stared in horror at the scene before him.
Piled in the middle of the living room was the coffee table and on top of it, one of their kitchen chairs. Joel was standing on top of this makeshift throne, broom in hand, and the broomstick was about an inch away from the ceiling. Harry seemed to be spotting Joel, his hands up as he rounded the dais in case Joel were to make an unceremonious topple to the ground. Cherish was seated on the couch, popcorn in hand and giggling at the spectacle occurring in the living room.
"Oh. Hey, Draco," said Joel, grinning at him. He paused, cocked his head to the side, and got a very perturbed glare on his face when Mr. Garen could be heard stomping, this time much louder than it had been earlier in the afternoon. When the stomping ceased, Joel started to bang the ceiling with the broomstick, screaming obscene words, and threatening to call Mr. Davis.
"He's been like this for over thirty minutes now," explained Harry as Draco came up beside him. "He came over a few hours ago after Cherish and I finished her paper. We were watching the telly for awhile but then your neighbor was stomping so loud we couldn't even properly hear Spongebob."
"You were watching cartoons?"
"Yeah. Joel likes cartoons."
"So how did this happen?"
"Well Joel got rather perturbed that he was disturbed during what he claims is the best Spongebob episode ever so he made this little platform and began banging on the ceiling. They've been going at it ever since. Back and forth like that. Mrs. Garen called to yell at us but Cherish told her that when Mr. Garen stopped making so much noise, Joel would stop his retaliation. Its quite amusing."
"Yeah, I thought Joel's excursions were funny when I first became a part of them, too, but then he started growing science experiments in the kitchen and I got a really bad case of food poisoning."
"I told you not to eat anything that shouldn't be green by nature," said Joel as he banged on the ceiling again.
"Joel, you're going to make a hole in my ceiling."
"Or Mr. Garen will fall through the floor. Either way, the bastard deserves it. How do you live here with that man up above?"
"Oh I don't know. Its something you become accustomed to. Kind of like living with one Joel Montgomery. I got used to that, too."
"Hardy har har. Your boyfriend thought it was funny."
"My boyfriend didn't live with you for three years."
"I like Harry, Daddy," said Cherish, strolling up to him and wrapping her arm around Draco's waist. "He helped me with my project today and made me dinner. He told me all about going to school at Hogwarts and showed me some really neat tricks with his wand."
"Did he?" Draco stole a glance as he smirked at Harry.
"Yeah. He's really nice, Daddy. I can see why you love him so much. He talked about you a lot, too. I think you should stay together. It seems like you shouldn't have ever broke up in the first place. Meredith says that when two people are really in love that they can be soulmates. She thinks Harry is your soulmate and that you need to marry him otherwise your karma will be off balance. Meredith says that if you don't get together in this life, your next one will make you soulmates again until you get married."
"Is that so?" Cherish nodded. "Well I think its time for you to go to bed."
"I think so, too. I'm sleepy."
"Then get changed and get into bed." He lightly tapped her butt as she passed him and went into her bedroom. "And Joel, I think its time you go home. Get off my coffee table and put the chair back where it belongs." Joel scowled at him but did as he was told. As he was leaving, muttering about being unappreciated, Draco punched numbers into the telephone and waited until someone picked up. "Yes, Mrs. Garen, this is Draco Malfoy from apartment 1512. I understand that your husband and my friend, Joel Montgomery, were having a bit of a feud tonight. I've sent Joel home and I'd appreciate if you'd discontinue stomping on my ceiling as some of us have work in the morning." He paused. "Yes Mrs. Garen, thank you for you time." He hung up the phone and looked at Harry, weary.
"Well aren't you Super Daddy," he said, smirking. "So who is this Meredith that Cherish speaks of?"
"Meredith is Cherish's best friend. Her father and mother are both into metaphysical studies. Not exactly magic but close. She's always going on about karma and astrology and the stars. Its like having Sybill Trelawney around all the time except her parents think it brings too much negative energy in the world by talking about death. The first time I met Meredith, she tried to cleanse my aura."
Harry snickered. "Fun. So how was work?"
"Excruciating. Francois thinks we have a mouse but neither I, Gabrielle, nor anyone else who works there have seen said mouse. We think Francois is hallucinating which wouldn't be too odd, for him, anyway."
"You lead an interesting life."
"I get along." Draco forced a smile before crossing the room and sinking into Harry's arms. He sighed, feeling Harry's arms wrap around him. "I forgot how good it feels to come home from a long day and have someone hold me."
"Aw," said Harry with a hint of teasing in his voice. "Has it been a long time since you've been loved?"
"I have Cherish but it's not exactly the same."
"No, I guess it isn't. You seem tired. Come to bed. We'll actually sleep tonight."
"We slept last night."
"A bit," said Harry grinning as he pulled Draco with him and they disappeared into the bedroom.
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