5.

October drifted by without much further to excite him. Harry had made his last edits on the manuscript, and sent it back to Adrian, who was mildly enthusiastic about it (but then he always was, even when the books turned out to be topping the Daily Prophet Books Top 15), and he had made plans to move back to Grimmauld Place. He felt that his days in Hogsmeade, in the Three Broomsticks had come to their natural conclusion, and now that this thing with Draco had - predictably - come to nothing, he might as well move back to London.

Harry had felt a bit stupid for assuming it might become more than the one night they had together. That he had meant more to Draco than a fling, something to forget his sadness for having lost his ex-partner forever. But why should it have? There was no indication that he had ever felt much more for Harry than temporary lust. Harry had been surprised at the possibility when it came up, when Draco had asked him to come back to Hogwarts with him. Sleeping with him had crossed his mind many years ago, but not recently. Fantasies about Malfoy had been a regular occurrence, but put firmly out of his thoughts, especially after the trials, once all the immediate realities of the war had been consigned to this thing called The Past, Malfoy had been lumped in there as well. So seeing him here, nineteen years later in Hogsmeade, early September, had jarred with him. It felt wrong to have him teaching his son and nieces, to be pally with Professor Flitwick and Madam Sprout, to have Professor McGonnagal as his colleague, to be ensconced in the building that had been so important to Harry, such an enormous part in him becoming who he now was. A wizard, a strong one at that… One that could - should - be sharing his knowledge with young wizards and witches...

Harry had contacted a few people who could help him get no.12 fixed up. George had recommended a building firm that specialized in Restoring Spells for Victorian buildings, and they gave him a good quote, and Luna had mentioned an interior designer that had done up her house, and he recalled it being very impressive. He was thinking of colour schemes, had settled on greens in the living room, and wood and whites in the kitchen. He would be leaving for the house the next morning, and was feeling mildly excited. His belongings were packed, apart from the things he still needed, and Harry looked out of the window, watching the scenes he saw every day, these past months. Hogsmeade in the evening, the lights in the shops and houses lit, looking cosy. Most wizards and witches living there belonging, like he never really did. He moved to lie on his bed, as thoughts of wanting to belong somewhere - anywhere - once again overtook his thinking. It had been a running theme to his life, really, Harry pondered, as he tried to recall all the places he had lived in, on matching a feeling of Belonging to them. The Burrow was most like his home, he felt, as was no.12, although that had lost some of it's homeliness since his split with Ginny. A real sense of Belonging comes from within, someone once said, his therapist probably, in the years he was healing from the war. And although he knew that to be true, finding that sense inside himself had appeared very elusive.

Then his thoughts hopped back to his night with Malfoy, as they did so easily, in the weeks since it happened. How they stood there, on that spot just inside the room, not quite close to the bed, suddenly apprehensive, but he waded past that, moved towards the blond man in front of him, smiling, and receiving a smile back. His insides did a little somersault at that thought - Malfoy's smile was like gold dust… It changed his face so much, he looked so unbelievably attractive… And it was so rarely aimed at him, in the years they were at Hogwarts… But now - now it was even more seductive, Harry thought, as he had outgrown his horrible need to be vile towards Harry and his friends. He even got positive feedback from James, in one of his letters, describing him as patient and helpful - words he'd never consider using to describe Malfoy, other than when he was with his friends. But there, on that spot, he could see how much the man had changed. Kind, considerate, affectionate even, when they were lying in the bed together, after they had made love, and Harry had never felt so complete.

What would his therapist say about this…?! Don't look for someone else to complete you, Harry. It's a fallacy, a myth to think that someone else will complete you… It has to come from yourself, from within… He knew it was true, but how nice was it to feel complete after sex, after reaching orgasm and lying in the arms of Draco… Or Siobhan, or Adrian, or the countless others who came before them. How often had he considered them to have completed him? Adrian, however, would never consider committing to Harry, and neither would Siobhan - she made it very clear that they had finished, the week before Draco... And the others were all there to fill a void. Only Ginny was serious, back in the days that James was tiny. Only she had shown him that she meant it, that she was there for him. Until he blew that.

Maybe he should give his therapist a Firecall…

...o0o0o0o…

"There's a query on your desk, Ms Granger," her assistant Mel said, as Hermione walked into the office.

She hung her coat on the stand in the corner after she closed the door, and glanced over at the paper that sat on the cleared space between a pile of reports on one side and another set of reports on the other. She sighed, knowing the piles would only be getting larger, and wished she was already on holiday with Ron, away from London, away from the Ministry. However much she loved her job, some days she wished she could join her husband in the shop, and just sell stupid jokes to people, and not investigate possible leads into Death Eater activity, which was usually nothing more than old wards or spells that hadn't been dealt with properly by aurors. Although last week there was something that got her interest spiked again, and she had to have a chat with her senior colleagues about how best to deal with it. Arrests were made, and things went back to the calm state that they usually were in Britain.

She poured herself a coffee and sat down at her desk. At least the chair was comfortable, she thought. So glad she managed to procure it, to convince her superior of the necessity of it, considering the hours she had to sit down and read reports. Her eyes landed on the piece of paper that Mel had mentioned. The query that needed to be seen to. Great…

Her holiday with Ron would be coming up in a few weeks. They had finally managed to get Hugo to stay with Molly and Arthur while Ginny was going to be there, and therefore he'd get her all to himself for Quidditch practice - the only thing he was looking forward to, Hermione knew. Well, not the only thing - his grandma's cooking and his Grandad's quirky hobbies were also very high on his list. But since he learnt how to swoop on a broom, high up in the air, and he got auntie Ginny to show him how to hit a Quaffle through the hoops that his dad and uncles had put up many years ago, there was little else that he got as excited about… And knowing how happy her little boy was going to be while his mum and dad would be wandering through Barcelona, and the north-east coast of Spain, put Hermione's mind quite at rest.

Merlin knew how much she and Ron needed a break… They had hardly spent time together in the past year. Either he was working in the shop, and going to fairs to get new supplies, since George was taking it easier, or she was asked to work overtime, finish reports that should've been handed in days before. Conversations centred around who would pick Hugo up from school, or Molly and Arthur's, or a friend's, and what they'd be doing that weekend. They had become that annoying couple that Hermoine vowed to never become, although giving up her career with the Ministry of Magic was never going to happen, not unless she'd be physically removed from the department, and she would never ask Ron to put less time into the shop. So there was little else they could to but to bide their time. Take breaks together. Hope that they'd survive this…

She'd seen so many couples - once happy and committed to each other - dissolve into unbonded and miserable people, due to life steering them into directions they couldn't control. Her best friend and her sister-in-law were only a few of them. People that were once happy, belonging together… There but for the grace of God went she and Ronald…

Her coffee tasted wonderful. She closed her eyes as she drank it, and opened them again to glance at the words on the piece of paper. It took a bit of time before they sank in.

Damn…

...o0o0o0o…

* My Dear * it started, and Draco sat down with a glass of wine to read the letter that arrived by owl earlier that evening. It was a long one, and Draco dabbled with the idea of setting it aside for when he had more time to spare. But Anna, his former colleague, old friend and sister of his ex-partner, deserved his attention, he decided, and he carried on reading.

* hope all is well in Scotland, and that you've settled into Hogwarts okay by now. Sorry I haven't written to you sooner, but your absence here has meant that most of the work has come to me, and I've been over my ears in potions and ingredients, not to mention the students that needed explanations that went way beyond my capacities… Thanks my dear for leaving me in the lurch like this! (only joking!) (partly!)*

Draco smiled at this, knowing her ability to wind him up quite easily. She had a silly streak, much like Markus, and it had taken him a while to know when she was, and wasn't kidding, pulling his leg. Maybe he should invite her over for a bit. Take his mind off certain people that kept invading his thoughts without permission.

* so, what's happening on the British Isles? The World News Paper only reports on the big stuff, so unless your Ministry has something to share, I hear nothing about what goes on in Britain. Hogwarts is never in the news these days, so that's good.

Here all well, I guess, apart from the mountain of work that still sits on my desk. Arthur, your successor, isn't half as accurate or astute as you are, and it drives me mad some days to have to explain things to him that you already knew, or figured out so fast… Bitte Komm Bald Zurück! *

Another smile appeared on his face, and he took a swig from his glass.

* Now, there's something I have to tackle with you, and I know it's not something that you'll enjoy. I hate to bring it up, and I can probably only do this via a letter, as dealing with it face to face might be too painful. You'll likely know what I'm talking about - my little brother… ever since he visited you, last month, he has been confused, and very upset. It has taken me weeks to find out what it was about and it turns out that when he had come to find you, up in Scotland, he found out that you were once connected with the Dark Lord. Now, I already knew this, as our supervisor had broached the subject with me, knowing what had happened to my mother during the War. I had never mentioned this to you, cos I wanted to give you a chance, and since you appeared to have moved on entirely from your past, and proved a valuable, considerate, sweet and kind colleague, and friend, it kind of went to the back of my mind. I just never considered it anymore after a while. Not even when you got involved with Markus. So, when he talked about it, finally, last week, we ended up talking about it all. He said he hated me for not telling him, and he doesn't want anything more to do with you. (he said he hadn't made that clear to you and could I please do that on his behalf. I herewith granted his wish - sorry you have to hear it via me…) so, there you have it… I have told Markus that although I understand his feelings, I will not give up my friendship with you. Unless you find it all too complicated, of course…*

Draco sighed after reading it. Markus wanted nothing more to do with him… Bit drastic, but understandable. He had made an attempt to get back together, not Draco, and maybe his disappointment, or disillusionment, or whatever it was, made him react in this way. As Pansy once said - hopes thrashed can make people become total divas… He noticed how little it bothered him. The thought of possible losing Anna's friendship was far more saddening, so he felt relieved that she stipulated this to her brother.

The letter carried on with a few more minor points, and mentioning that she'd be coming over to London in a few weeks time for research purposes, and after rereading it, Draco put the parchment down on the small table next to his armchair, and stared into the fire. Would a relationship with anybody work at this point? As he mentioned to Potter, before… when they had that drink together, could he ever hope to let go of his past? Would there ever be anyone who wouldn't have a problem with it? Not unless he started to feel attracted to Slytherin guys, or their European equivalent, or anywhere in the world version… But the guys he felt himself draw to, the guys he fancied, were very much like Markus. Kind, gentle, good-natured, brave, strong… and basically Markus was a younger, musically talented, cheaper version of Potter…

It always came down to Harry frigging Potter.

...o0o0o0o…

Horace sat down at the desk in their Astronomy Class and put the page of the Prophet down in front of James, where he'd folded it to show the article. James looked at it, and winced.

"He's had better reviews, hasn't he?" Horace spoke softly. James nodded.

* LAST INSTALLMENT OF THE ALBUS TRILOGY LEAVES AN EMPTY TASTE IN THE MOUTH * the headline quipped. * Has Harry Potter reached the end of the line for his writing talents? Martha Maihemn investigates *

James read the article, in which his dad's latest book, the one he had so much trouble getting to the end of, gets trashed unapologetically. He felt sorry for him, as he was aware of the struggle he felt getting to wrap it up to his satisfaction. During the summer he had talked about it a bit, when James asked him how it had been going. His dad said that he was ready to start a new phase in his life, move on from the freewheeling and over-boozing that he had been trapped in since last year, or maybe even before.

"It says in here that he has been spotted with a mysterious blond man, who's not the blond man he has been hanging out with before the summer, or whatever," Dolores said, as she joined the boys before the lesson started. She sat down next to Horace, Alex and James at the large desk and read the article along with her friends, ignoring the rest of the class for a bit.

"Nice and non-specific," Alex chipped in. "Hasn't he been living in Hogsmeade, since the summer?" he looked at James, who nodded.

"You could go and have a coffee with him, when we go there next week!" Dolores giggled.

"He's moved back to London, my mum said," James answered.

"Aw… Shame! Would've loved to have met him…" Horace looked disappointed.

"Who do you think the mysterious blonde could have been?" Alex asked,

"No idea... Must've met him after this summer." James pondered.

"Oh! I know! Professor Malfoy!" Dolores said excitedly, "Didn't they know each other before, weren't they at Hogwarts together?"

"They were hardly friends, though," James frowned. Could it be their Potions Master? James felt annoyed, would be so typical of his dad to steal… no, of course he wouldn't be stealing - Professor Malfoy was only used in his fantasy, and nobody was ever going to know about that. Least of all his dad… Eww… Gross…

"Maybe they've made up, like, really made up… It happens, you know," Dolores had a weird dreamy look in her eyes, as if she was already invested in this new romance. "Wouldn't that be amazing - old enemies become lovers…"

"What kind of rubbish novels have you been reading, Do?" James sounded more grumpy than he meant to.

"So sweet!" Alex now joined in. "Once on opposite sides in the war, now in each other's arms…"

"Shut up, you lot! That's my dad you're going on about…" James pulled a disgusted face. "For Merlin's sake…"

"Don't you think it's nice?" Alex asked, smiling at his boyfriend. "Professor Malfoy could be your new other dad!"

"Alright people, can we all take a seat now?" they heard the Astronomy professor call out, and the four students found their seats around the desk, books on the right page, newspaper in Horace's bag. James sighed, disturbed by the things his friends were so joyfully discussing just now. Could his dad really have a thing with Professor Malfoy? After what they did to each other back in the nineties…? Although, as auntie Hermione said, once - people do all kinds of weird things to people they actually fancy, out of fear they might lose face, or whatever… But his dad? He tried his best to forget about it all, and concentrate on the charts he and Alex were supposed to construct.

...o0o0o0o…

The bottle of wine he had managed to procure in Hogsmeade was sitting in the leather postman bag, which he had bought before he'd set off for Germany, and Draco made sure it was secure. It had cost him a great deal of Galleons, and many weeks of patience while Gertrude and Maximus, her husband, tracked down a supplier to get him the bottle. They were nonplussed as to why he'd even wanted that particular bottle of Elderflower Wine, as the brand they carried in the Three Broomsticks was considered fine, but Draco had his reasons, he said, and they left it at that.

He had come down to London for a weekend, meeting up with Anna, who was going to be there for some research, and Draco wanted to be away from Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Scotland for a few days. Much as he loved being up there, he sometimes missed London, especially in the run up to Christmas. And since Anna had never experienced it to begin with, they decided to meet up mid-November, and spend some days catching up with each other. Draco was nervous, somehow, as he dreaded the interlude with Markus would have left Anna more on her guard, but the second they saw each other, in the foyer of the hotel where they'd agreed to meet, it felt like nothing had changed.

"Darling Draco!" Anna called out, as soon as she noticed him. "Oh my gosh, how well you look!"

"And you!" he answered, truthfully. "Oh, your hair is so short! It really suits you…" Draco looked at the new cut, a kind of curly bob, short in her neck, which made her seem even younger and lovely.

They exchanged smiles and kisses, and hugged like they hadn't seen each other for years.

"So nice to have you near me again, Draco Malfoy. I've missed our little chats over coffee, Arthur doesn't do gossip, or any form of chit-chat… It's been so dull…"

Draco smiled, being reminded of their time together in the canteen in the University, which felt like such a long way removed. They talked about his life in Scotland, how he enjoyed teaching, and how the students seemed to have taken to him and his methods. Anna smiled as he spoke, listening intently.

"And how about love, has there been anybody to take the place of my brother yet?" she looked at him even more studiously.

"No, not really…"

"Are you sure?"

"I think I'd know…" Draco smiled, unsure suddenly. Had she heard anything? Should he mention Potter to her? Maybe if it had meant anything, more than the one night they had together.

"What about this Potter chap?"

Draco looked at her in surprise. "What Potter chap?"

"The one you had a fling with… The one you have been harbouring feelings for since you were seventeen…"

"How do you know?" how on earth could she know about that? Surely this wasn't in any files? And he never told Markus about this… The only way she could know was if she had talked to Pansy, and that seemed unlikely. He looked at Anna closely, and suddenly the penny dropped. "Are you a Legilimens?"

"So you finally figured that out…" Anna smiled.

"Have you always been able to… read minds?"

"Yes, but I only seemed to have perfected it at will this year. Don't worry, I haven't been reading into your mind about all the sordid stuff you think about… It does come in handy at times, though…" she still beamed.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Draco still looked a little worried at her.

"So, Potter… Tell me more!"

"Not now, Anna."

"Oh, go on! I've read about him, he defeated the Dark Lord, didn't he? what is he like in real life?"

"He's… he's nice, and we go way back -"

"Since you were eleven…"

"And it's always been complicated between us."

"But you like him…?"

"It's too complex…"

"And you slept with him?"

"How do you - oh yeah… I did. It was after your brother left me last month, and I was feeling upset, and we had been talking and my defences were down, so I asked him to spend the night with me…"

"And now you don't know how to carry on from there?"

"I messed it up between us, and he's probably glad to be shot of me…"

"I doubt it…"

"Just leave it, okay?"

"Won't mention him again until you do…"

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Diagon Alley, as Draco wanted Anna to experience the buzz of the place. He still liked to wander around some of the shops, especially the bookshops which didn't sell textbooks for Hogwarts (and were less likely to have students or their parents in them). Anna also seemed to like it there, and as it got darker, the many twinkly lights that adorned the shop fronts, trees and lampposts gave the road the loveliest feel.

They had dinner in the Leaky Cauldron, as Anna had heard of it and wanted to experience a 'real English pub'. Draco wasn't too thrilled, but was happy to escort his friend there for a meal. The place was filling up with wizards and witches who were done with their shopping and ready to enjoy a few hours respite, with tankards of ale and stout, and Draco had trouble raising his voice over the ruckus, after a while.

"Is it always this busy?" Anna asked, shouting over the noise.

"I guess so! It's never really been a place where my family would go, to be honest," Draco smiled, pulling an apologetic face.

"Not classy enough…" Anna smiled back, winking at him.

"My mother wouldn't be seen dead here…"

"I can understand."

Just then, a familiar face poked out from behind a group of young wizards. He looked their way, and upon recognising Draco, he smiled and raised a hand. Draco greeted back, which made Anna turn around to see who it might be. Draco motioned for him to join them, and the young man walked their way, after speaking briefly to his companions.

"Teddy!" Draco called out when the boy was within earshot. "Come and say hello to my friend Anna!"

"Hey there, Teddy," Anna smiled and held out her hand. "I'm an old friend of Draco. We worked together in Germany."

"Ah, yeah, I remember grandma talking about that. How are you doing, Draco? It's been forever since I saw you!" the young man beamed.

Draco tried to remember the last time he had been to the boy's grandmother's house, and that must have been before he moved away. Without his mother's knowledge, as well. He recalled her describing her sister as being beneath the Black family, and not worthy of carrying the name. Draco had always liked his aunt, as she was warm, and kind, and whenever Teddy wasn't with the Weasley's or Potter, he enjoyed spending time with him.

"What are you up to now? You left Hogwarts, haven't you?" Draco yelled.

"Looking around a bit," he grinned. "I'd like to go to art school, but not yet…"

"Good idea," Anna said. "You kids have to decide far too young. I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do when I was nineteen!"

"That's what uncle Harry said… Look around a bit, first, he said. Plenty of time to enroll into art school."

Draco flushed a little at the mention of Potter's name. "Do you have a preference?"

"Not really… I heard Brighton is good…"

"Have you thought about going abroad for a bit?" Anna asked. "I know the university in Weimar, where I work, has a nice exchange scheme, maybe you could have a look there?"

"That sounds nice! I'll look into that…" Teddy smiled. "And how are you doing, Draco? Still enjoying teaching? I know James, uncle Harry's son, likes having you there… He's mentioned you a few times in his letters…"

"Has he now…" Draco lifted an eyebrow. That made sense. He had a hunch the boy had a crush on him. How the hell does one deal with that?!

"Nip it in the bud, I say," Anna offered quietly, out of earshot. She winked at Draco.

"As does Rose," Teddy carried on. "Too bad I missed out, eh?"

Draco laughed. "Oh well…"

"I'll be going to see uncle Harry tomorrow. He's been doing up the house in Grimmauld Place - have you been there yet?" Teddy looked curious. "No? It's really nice now… He's fixed the kitchen, and the living room is so light and lovely now. You should come as well, I'll ask him if you can join us, he won't…"

"Um, Teddy, maybe not, yeah… It's not as if we've been best mates…"

"You're practically family! It's where my dad lived, with Sirius… So it's almost my house as well…" he grinned.

"I'm not… family… well, I'm related to you, but not Potter…"

"No, I guess not…"

"Thanks for the offer though…"

"I'll ask him anyway…"

"No, don't…" Draco wanted the ground to swallow him up.

"I'd like to meet this Harry," Anna chipped in. "He's really famous, isn't he?"

Fuck…

"He is, and he's lovely…"

"So I keep hearing…" Anna smiled, and glanced at Draco, who looked very uncomfortable.

"I'll send you an owl as soon as I know."

Anna smiled, and thanked the young man, and they said their goodbyes, getting ready to leave the pub, and move on to find the hotel where they'd both be staying.

"What… Why?! What the fuck, Anna!" Draco exclaimed once they were outside.

"What?! I'm dying to get to know this famous Harry Potter! I'll go alone, if you can't handle being in the same room as he…"

"You might have to…" grumbled Draco.

"So, who was this delightful chap then?" Anna carried on, ignoring Draco's dramatics.

"Um, er… where do I start…?" Draco sighed. "His mum was the daughter of my mum's sister, so my cousin. She died, sadly, during the war…"

"Young Teddy's mum?"

"Yep. And his dad as well. He was a werewolf, actually, and was our teacher at Hogwarts for a year. I never got to know him much, because of all the things that went on in the years before he died. He seemed like a good man. A bit intense. Although of course, at the time he was part of the side that I was fighting against. Supposed to hate..." His voice trailed off a little, remembering how painful any memories of that time might still be for Anna. "He was together with Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, who's a distant relation to me via my mother, and they lived together in the house that Teddy mentioned, where Potter now lives. On and off. Potter wrote a half decent book about them, how they balanced each other out, and how much love there was between them…"

"Sounds touching," Anna commented quietly. "I'd love to read that book."

"It might still be for sale, we'll have a look in one of the bookshops tomorrow…" Draco stared out in front of him, keen to get away from all that reminded him of what happened twenty years ago, and his part in it. "Anyway, you haven't told me how things are going between you and Harold - are you still together?" He felt quite chuffed to divert the focus of their conversation, as Anna started telling him about the course of her long distance relationship.

Despite this, he had trouble seeing how this weekend would end up happy...

...o0o0o0o…