Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me but to JKR - I'm just having fun with them. Story's mine.

Author's Notes: This is a story I began before OotP and, while that doesn't affect any major plot points, Sirius is still alive in this story. I can't let him go.

And, in case you haven't realised, this is SLASH. Don't bother reading if you don't like it - and, if you choose to, don't bother flaming for that reason. Flames for other reasons are fine.

Please review and let me know what you think.

"Have you heard from Draco?" Sirius asked as they ate their sundaes sitting at a table in the warm sunshine outside Fortescue's.

Harry shook his head. Spending Saturdays with Sirius had become even more enjoyable for Harry since Draco had left three months ago but Sirius' predictable questioning was becoming annoying. "Don't even know where he is," he answered.

Sirius swirled his spoon in his ice cream as he searched for his next words. "Harry, maybe ... well, Remus and I ... we were sort of thinking that ..."

Harry looked at his godfather curiously. Ever since he'd met him, Sirius had always been so sure of himself, confident about saying whatever he felt like and very economical with words. It was strange to hear him fumbling and stuttering now. "What, Sirius?"

"That maybe he's not coming back." Sirius rushed on. "And that you should probably move on. Not worth wasting your time and your life waiting for a stupid git like that."

Harry knew that Sirius was right. And Ron and Hermione, who'd both been telling him the same thing for the past month or so. But, whenever he thought about it, a voice inside his head always screamed 'No, he's got to come back!'

Harry smiled at his godfather. "I know you're right but I'm just not ready yet."

"That's all right, Harry," Sirius said soothingly. "You don't have to be ready yet." He paused for a for a minute or so before continuing. "Just get out of the house and have some fun. You don't have to get involved in a deep and meaningful relationship if you don't want to. Just get out and live. Have fun."

Harry looked up, startled, and his spoon clattered to the table. "What, just sleep with someone?" he said, shocked. "Anyone, just for the hell of it?" He felt the heat rising in his cheeks and knew he was blushing madly.

Sirius laughed. "Harry, you're nearly 27. It's allowed. You need to relax a bit. You don't have to spend the rest of your life with the person you start dating when you were 16."

"My mum and dad did," Harry said quietly. And I want to, too. I want to be with Draco forever.

"Yeah, well," said Sirius, "your mum and dad died young, too. Nothing to say they would've stayed together if they were still alive."

"What?" Harry said with surprise. It had never occurred to him before that his parents might not have stayed together had they lived. "From what I've heard, they were a perfect couple. Were they having problems or something?"

"No, Harry, that's not what I meant," Sirius reassured him. "I just think you have too idealistic an impression of them. They weren't perfect, Harry, and, whatsmore, even if they were, you don't have to be like them. You should just be yourself. Don't worry about what other people think."

Harry was quiet. He and Sirius had never had a discussion like this before. They were each extremely protective of the other and of their relationship. The two of them and Remus had a familial relationship but, not having known each other until Harry was 13 years old, Sirius and Harry, in particular, were still a little unsure of how they actually fit together. Father and son? Brothers? Friends? Neither of them was willing to jeopardise the relationship so, generally, they steered clear of any subjects that were too personal. This was the sort of discussion Harry was more likely to have with Remus. In fact, Remus had probably put Sirius up to it.

Sirius was off again. "Look, Harry, I don't want to tell you how to live your life or anything like that. I just want you to be happy." Sirius paused and looked away from Harry before continuing. "If there's one thing being in Azkaban taught me, it's that you can't take anything for granted. So I try to live as if I'm going to die tomorrow."

Harry regarded his godfather with wide eyes. Rarely did Sirius mention Azkaban at all to him. Harry wanted to reach over and squeeze Sirius' hand, offer support, but, apart from a few manly hugs and some backslapping, they'd never really touched. When Sirius looked back at him, Harry settled for a smile. "I'll try, Sirius, I promise."

"Good." Sirius grinned, seeming eager to get the heart to heart over with and back onto their usual jokey, comfortable footing. "A good casual fling or two or three'll be good for you," he said. "You've only ever been with Draco."

Harry blushed again. Sirius laughed. "Anyway, I've got to go. Remus and I are going out for dinner and I'd better go home and shower first." He stood and waved to Harry as he Disapparated.

Harry sighed as he stood up and wandered back through Diagon Alley to the Leaky Cauldron. Saturday night again and Harry's only plans involved watching telly at home alone. Sirius was right; he did need to meet some new people, do new things. Start living again. If Draco came back again at some point, Harry'd still be there – probably – but he wasn't gong to sit around waiting anymore.

He pushed open the door to the pub and ordered a drink at the bar. He sat on a barstool and swivelled around. At 4.30 pm, the pub was half full. It was that time between lunch and dinner when the patrons were either those having a drink after shopping in the Alley and before going home or those that were still enjoying a drink after a leisurely lunch.

Harry froze as his eyes met familiar grey ones. Draco was sitting at a table in the back corner with a man who looked about 20. They obviously knew each other well from the way Draco was looking at him now. He saw Draco drop the other man's hand as he turned his gaze back to Harry.

The fog in Harry's brain cleared enough to enable him to move. He set his drink back on the bar and hurried out the back door of the pub. He tapped the bricks with his wand and waited for them to move to allow him back into the throng of people in Diagon Alley. Draco had obviously moved on but Harry didn't want to witness it. He was anxious to get as far away from him as possible as quickly as possible.

Just as the bricks finished re-arranging themselves, however, he heard Draco's voice from behind him.

"Harry, wait!" Draco called.

Harry stopped and turned to look fearfully at Draco. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

Draco flinched visibly. "How are you?" Draco asked formally.

"All right," Harry replied. He tilted his head towards the pub. "Obviously you're OK."

"I've been living here," Draco said, answering Harry's unasked question.

"With him?" Harry waved his arm in the direction of the pub.

"Scott." Draco stared at the ground, rubbing it with his foot. "Yes," he said quietly. He felt his anger rising when he looked up and saw Harry's injured expression. "Well, you're the one who wanted to break up!"

"I did not!" Harry cried, hotly. "You're such a prima donna, Draco. You only heard what you wanted to hear so you could make yourself a martyr! Well, I'm not letting you. This is your fault, not mine!"

Draco stared at Harry openmouthed. "You're the one who said we shouldn't live together anymore!"

"I did not!" Harry yelled. "I said I didn't want to live with the fighting anymore and that I wasn't going to ask you about your 'family things' anymore."

Draco's expression clearly reflected his shock. "Didn't hear that bit, did you, Draco?" Harry added.

"Too busy trying to be the victim to hear that, weren't you!. Learn that from your fucked up family, too, did you?" Harry couldn't help himself. It'd hurt when he'd seen Draco with the man in the pub and all he wanted to do was lash out and hurt Draco back with all the rage and pent up emotions of the last three months.

Draco stared at Harry wide eyed. Harry was right – he hadn't heard the rest of what Harry had said. Hadn't stayed to listen. He could remember Harry saying something but Draco had assumed he had been telling him he didn't want to be with him anymore. Apparently, he'd been wrong. Suddenly, he felt like he'd made a huge mistake.

"Didn't take you long to find someone else, did it?" Harry hissed.

Draco snapped his attention back to Harry and looked at him pleadingly. "Harry, I'm not strong like you. I can't be alone. You know that."

Harry rolled his eyes and started to turn away.

Draco grabbed his arm and forced him to stop. "No, Harry, wait!" Draco cried. "I love you, Harry. Scott's not that important to me. He's just someone to be with."

"I don't know whether that makes it better or worse," Harry spat.

"Harry, please, I-". Draco broke off when he saw Harry's attention shift to something behind him.

Harry's eyes returned to Draco and he shook Draco's hand off his arm. "Your boyfriend wants you." Draco turned quickly.

"Draco, if we're going to that play tonight, you need to get ready," Scott said uncertainly.

Draco turned around again but Harry had gone.

"I'm coming," he said and walked past Scott into the pub.