Chapter 4 – Recognition

Draco's week had been a good one, as far as things went. He was busier than ever with his work and Scorpius had been returned to him for the week. He was a proud man and would never admit it to anyone, but the manor was much warmer with Scorpius within the walls. His son was the light of his life and Draco would do anything to ensure his happiness.

One problem continued to plague Draco however, and was the reason he stood outside the muggle pub once again on a Thursday evening. His haughty face was lit by a streetlight as he glared at the weathered entrance, as if his stare would cause the building to give up the secret of the wizard it held within. His gentle inquiries over the course of the week had, to his complete shock, yielded absolutely nothing. Nobody Draco had spoken to could recall a wizard with the kind of power he described, and he was certain that power like he had felt would be widely recognised.

He was a Malfoy, and he did not like being confused.

It was a good thing therefore that he could feel the very aura of power coming from the old structure he glared at. His own magic was not insignificant, but in comparison was nothing to that of the other wizard. Draco was used to getting what he wanted, and he absolutely needed to know how an untapped source of limitless energy was sitting undetected in muggle London.

Draco entered the building with confident strides. It wouldn't do for him to show weakness or give the other wizard any indication that he had been recognised. He flashed his Malfoy smile at the young woman behind the bar, who immediately flushed and tripped in her haste to serve him. Her excitement was a blessing, as she was too distracted to notice that his attention was fixed firmly on the wizard hidden in the alcove next to the fireplace.

Draco had guessed two things – first, that the man was either an outcast of the wizarding world or was trying to remain hidden, and secondly that he would immediately recognise another wizard near him. With a sense of satisfaction, Draco knew he was right on both accounts. The wizard had pulled the hood of his muggle jacket over his head and immediately stood to leave when Draco entered. The magic surrounding the other man billowed around Draco – strong emotions at play, Draco mused as he tried to dampen his reaction to the sudden flex of magic.

Draco watched closely as the other man skirted around the edge of the seated area and made a beeline for the door. Apologising to the barmaid who was still in the process of making his drink, he slapped a bill on the jarrah bar and quickly darted behind after the rapidly retreating figure.

"Wait," Draco called after the man as he broke into a fast walk through the London streets. Undeterred, the wizard moved faster. Swearing under his breath, he cast a wandless tripping jinx. The other wizard might not have control over his own magic, but Draco certainly did.

His impromptu plan had worked – the wizard had stumbled, allowing Draco to catch him with long strides. Reaching out, he caught the other man by the arm of his jacket and turned him roughly towards him, causing the hood covering his face to fall back.

Draco's mouth fell open in shock – a most undignified expression for any Malfoy and one he corrected instantly. Draco snapped his mouth closed, narrowing his eyes at the other man.

Recognition hit Draco like a reducto hex. It was impossible not to know the combination of glasses, green eyes and of course that blasted scar across the forehead. Damn Potter had plagued Draco's nightmares for years, and despite the passage of time was still instantly noticeable.

However, in Draco's memories Potter was always insufferably positive, regardless of the gravity of the situation he faced. He along with the Weasel and mudblood seemed to actively seek out danger and revel when it found them, intolerably pleased with the outcome of their actions no matter who they placed in danger. Draco had hated that version of Harry Potter with a fiery passion, loathing the immaturity and impossible arrogance Potter showed by placing others at risk for himself. To make matters worse, that old fool Dumbledore had delighted in the adventures of the golden trio, never once scolding them for their sheer stupidity and instead rewarding them for their reckless behaviour.

Staring at the man in front of him, Draco thought that perhaps his hatred of the past Potter may now be displaced. There was no doubt in his mind whatsoever that the Harry Potter standing in front of him was a very different man to the boy Draco had last seen when he was seventeen, six years ago. For one, the Potter he knew didn't have a disfiguring scar stretching along the right side of his face, obscuring his features. Even without the scar Draco would have known that something terrible had happened to the man in front of him – the pain reflected in those green eyes as they glared furiously at him explained the reason for the wild magic.

Draco fought valiantly to push down the disappointment that had briefly gripped him when he had turned the other wizard around. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but Harry bloody Potter certainly wasn't it. He took a second longer to study the man – Potter was taller and broader in the shoulders than he had been as a child – and he certainly wasn't unattractive despite the unfortunate markings on his face.

Draco didn't realise his mistake until the other man had grabbed the front of his robes and hauled him into a shadowy alcove off the street. Foolish, he scolded himself. In the seconds he had spent studying Potter, the other man had reacted and now had his hands bunched in the front of Draco's robes, dangling his feet slightly off the floor. His wand was pressed into the shadow of Draco's jaw in a split second and that irresistible magic pressed dangerously around him. Age hasn't dulled his reflexes any, Draco thought to himself.

"Why are you following me?!" Whilst Malfoy had recognised Potter physically, he certainly didn't recall the sound of the man's voice. Deep and tinted with anger and desperation, Potter's tone was low and rough – and more than a little bit attractive. Malfoy's had always been attracted to dangerous people, and nobody would deny that in this moment Draco was in more danger than perhaps he had been since the final battle.

"Magic," Draco choked, unable to clearly articulate his words with Potter's hand pressing into his chest and his wand jabbing into his jaw. He would most likely have bruises tomorrow to show for this encounter. "Felt the magic. Didn't know it was you."

Potter continued to glare at him, his green eyes contracted in anger. His eyes appeared to be boring into Draco's skull and Draco flinched away, staring at a point beyond Potter's head. He knew that Potter was a trained legilimens and had no intention of allowing him into his mind. Potter continued to examine him for a moment longer before suddenly dropping Draco in an unceremonious heap.

Gasping, Draco adjusted his robes around him in the most dignified manner he could. Of course, there was not much dignity about being manhandled like a muggle and Draco turned his lip up in his Malfoy sneer at the taller man.

"Was that really necessary?" His tone was stiff and clearly expressed the displeasure he felt at being thrown around. He sniffed and raised his chin to further express his view on Potter's actions, but the wizard had simply stepped away from Draco with slumped shoulders.

"Yes, it was". Potter didn't explain himself, but his jaw was set so tightly it looked ready to snap. "As long as you found me by chance, you can simply take your story with you about the crazy Harry Potter and leave me in peace".

Opening his mouth to respond with a snappy retort, Draco paused for a second as he examined the man in closer detail. Once he was able to move past the shock of the scars, it was obvious that Potter was exhausted. Dark circles ringed the bottom of his green eyes and his cheeks were gaunt. A pale pallor discoloured his face, causing the redness of the scars to stand out in more vivid detail. Draco was not staring at a man who was well, and he felt the stirrings of an emotion that disgusted him – pity.

Instead of snapping a response, Draco took a deep breath. "Potter, what happened to you." It wasn't a question as much as a statement – he struggled to recognise the hero of the wizarding world with the broken wizard who stared at him with haunted eyes.

Potter snorted. "Haven't you heard?" He spat bitterly. "I lost my wife and went crazy."

"No", Draco mused, "that's just an excuse. You aren't crazy". The statement was delivered in such an arrogant manner that when Potter lunged at him, Draco was prepared to dodge out of the way. Draco had learned that you could get the most information out of people when they were angry and not in control of themselves, and his goading was a deliberate attempt to do just that.

Potter growled as his fist hit the brickwork of the building behind him, swearing as his knuckles split open. Draco smelt the sharp tang of blood and smirked to himself – Potter's temper, it seemed, remained as intact as ever.

"Just leave me alone," he finally spat at Draco, spinning on his heel. "I left your world for a reason and I don't want any reminders." He spun on his heel before Draco could stop him, question unanswered, and strode into the throngs of muggle traffic.

Draco could have followed him but, impressed that Potter had been able to control himself, decided against it for the moment. Sagging as the last remnants of Potter's angry magic left him, he felt a huge rush of anger towards himself. Stupid, he told himself, you are a stupid fool. Why was he even interested in Potter? The second he had seen that face he could and should have turned and walked away. Potter was part of a past which he had done his best to move on from and Draco was furious with himself for allowing his own stupid attraction to magic to taint his usually rational conduct.

Be real with yourself. He couldn't stop his own traitorous thoughts from niggling within his mind as he angrily stomped away from the scene. It's not just his magic that you are attracted to. Draco pushed the thought from his mind. So what if Potter had turned into a fine man – he was still scarred and clearly emotionally unavailable. No, it would do no good for Draco to dwell on Potter any longer as Malfoy's demanded perfection in their partners and Potter was so far from perfect it was laughable.