~*~ Muggle Shopping ~*~

I watched him, he just didn't realize it. I saw the anger, the brooding and sulking, and finally the thoughtfulness and worry. Good. I'd pissed him off and maybe gotten him to really think about things. I still didn't know what was going on in that angelic head of his though, which was frustrating in the extreme. So, do I ghost past him and see if he'd follow, or just slip away upstairs and wait for another encounter on another day? I left him alone. I'd put out feelers of my own to catch if he started checking up on me. Preferably I wouldn't and he'd end up asking the source--me.

It was several days before I saw him again. I was browsing the upper levels of Flourish & Blotts, looking for history on the Founders, when I sensed someone coming closer. No sound though. But the scent, that I recognized. So I turned my head toward the presence I'd felt, paused for a fraction of a second and then let what I knew was a dazzling smile spread slowly across my lips in greeting.

"Heyla," I said before glancing back at the shelves, finally tipping a book out for purchase. I turned fully then to face Draco, pleasantly surprised to see a gentle smile lighting his features.

"It's good to see you," I said, inclining my head toward the stairs and wiggling the book I was holding. He gave me a nod so I slung one arm around his shoulders casually and descended to the ground floor with him at my side. The book was paid for with a minimum of fuss and we stepped outside into the warm sunshine. I tossed the book into my rucksack and gave Draco a sidelong glance.

"I was on my way to shop for a gift for the twins when I got distracted in there." I smiled sheepishly and looked up and down the street. "Err...I don't suppose you have any suggestions?"

"For children?" he asked, sounding appalled. "Err..."

I dropped my head for a moment to think. "Suppose they might like muggle toys?"

That earned me an odd look.

"Maybe I could, you know, enchant some normal toys--make them more personal. Something."

Draco's face changed, part musing with a touch of roguishness. He looked at me and grinned. "You could...enchant them to scream bloody murder if they were getting into trouble. Alert the parents? Hex the erring twin? Something."

His eyes were positively sparkling as he spoke and I found myself matching that grin.

"Shall we? There's loads of toy shops in London. Well, that is...if you aren't busy." Had to give him an out. Wouldn't be right otherwise. For all I knew, he was just as confused as I was, or nervous.

He pursed his lips then and flicked a glance at his watch, then at me. "I think it would be a lovely way to spend the day. Lead on?"

So off we went to muggle London and suffered the delights of a dozen shops, some large, some small, and in the end (with much wrangling) we returned to my flat with two fluffy stuffed animals. Surprisingly, one was a white ferret. Draco picked it himself, making sure the fur was soft as silk. The other was a weasel.

I had an extensive library tucked away in a room that was much larger than should have been possible according to muggle physics...or whatever. I actually had fun, browsing through books to find what we needed and then enchanting the plushies with Draco. I think he did too; he certainly smiled a lot, and he wasn't wearing his mask that I could tell. That's always been a part of the problem though. He'd worn it for so many years that I suspected it was difficult to let it go.

All in all we had a grand time.

I think it was even more fun when we visited Ron, Hermione and the twins. I simply told them they were special toys and they squealed loudly, smothering both of us (I almost laughed at the look on Draco's face) with hugs and kisses, then ran off with their new acquisitions. Hermione and Ron were still laughing hysterically over the ferret. After I was sure the twins were out of hearing range and that the Weasley's had recovered, we explained.

"Guys, they'll find out soon enough what those toys will do. But you should know now." I glanced and Draco and grinned when he took up the thread.

"Mmm. They're special all right. They're muggle toys enchanted to be watchdogs. If either of those two get into any trouble, those animals will sound the alarm and you'll know it immediately."

"And," I added, "they can talk to the twins. Not exactly like a person but...nightmares shouldn't be a problem, at least."

They all gave me funny looks. I knew what they were thinking. I didn't mind though. We stayed for a while longer, then said our good-byes. Outside I gazed up the setting sun, enjoying the play of color across the sky with a slight smile. I didn't look at Draco. I wanted him to come home with me, but frankly, I wasn't sure I could stand to hear the answer if I asked. And then he spoke.

"You owe me a decent meal for helping you."

It was all I could do to prevent my head from snapping in his direction, and instead I glanced over in a lazy motion and smiled. What an adorably Slytherin thing to say.

I'd been cooking since I was a child, so this was child's play. We quibbled a bit over what to eat, but in the end I tossed him a cookbook and told him to pick. He enjoyed it, of course. I'm not sure he needed to be quite that seductive with his utensils though. Maybe next time I'd make him eat something messy, like wings. If there was a next time.

I thought about asking him up to the roof. I thought about how was this evening going to end. If I didn't want him to be the one to initiate things, I'd have to right? Either ask him to stay, or tell him to go. If I asked him to stay though...

~*~

"You look troubled, Grey. Confused. Are you...ill?" Somehow I didn't think he realized everything that was flitting across his face as he toyed with his food more than he ate it.

"Huh?" He looked up at me with those emerald eyes. "Oh. Just thinking."

"About?" I was nothing if not persistent.

"Err...tomorrow, the next day, the club, next week...whatever. Stuff."

The club, which meant dancing, which meant escape. Something was upsetting him. Obviously. And then I thought, it was probably about me. He'd been awfully coy this morning when he asked if I wanted to help him. I sighed inside. This would be much easier if I could just tip the table aside with one sweeping movement and lunge at him, taking him down to the floor where I could straddle his hips and feast on his pale skin. But...

"Was it something I said the other day?" I asked, dropping my chin a little and inclining my head slightly to the side.

He smiled at me, a beautiful smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I didn't spend all that time at Hogwarts taunting him and his friends to learn nothing about reading him.

"Grey, I know something is bothering you. Please just tell me."

His eyes went a little blank and he straightened up in his chair. He worried his lower lip between white teeth then and narrowed his eyes slightly. I felt for a moment like I was back in school and was about to get blasted, either with words or a wand.

It all passed in a second, and an easy smile broke out again along with a low chuckle. He said, "Bothering me? All right. Your acknowledgement that you might be planning on digging around, investigating. I don't like it. I think, if you consider things, you will understand why."

I blinked. That was the problem? And then I said something I never thought I'd ever hear myself say. "I'm sorry. That was truly insensitive of me." And I meant it.

"Just...ask...if you want to know something." That cost him, I could tell by the way his eyes darkened and the faint lines of stress and worry revealed themselves. No one should look like that this young.

So I nodded, and gave to him a rare thing, a genuine smile, and got one back in return. Being the engaging fellow that I am, I then entertained him with anecdotes about my enterprise, while carried us through the remainder of dinner. I was getting tired though and while I might want to stay, I also didn't want to push him, so I was honest. I yawned and stretched.

"I'm getting pretty tired, Grey. I think I'll head out." I glanced over to see what I thought I'd seen the other night in his eyes, his posture. "Maybe we could do something tomorrow though," I said as roughly folded my napkin and dropped it next to my plate, then stood.

Grey also stood, pulling his hair away from his face by sliding the fingers of both hands into the dark strands and pushing back slowly. "Yes," he said. "We could." Then he angled his head. "You can apparate here, you know. The wards are keyed for you." The ghost of a smile curved his lips as he started gathering the plates and utensils.

"I'll drop by tomorrow," I said, then sketched a bow and apparated home.