Thank you to those reading and reviewing! I feel like there may be another 3 or 4 chapters, then this will be finished. It's been a nice diversion for me. Unfortunately, I've been procrastinating on other projects.
Harry was still a bit wound up after their supper with Ron. He was especially worried that Ron would tell Hermione his suspicions. As tenacious as she could be, she wouldn't simply drop the subject the way Ron did if she confronted Harry.
Instead of walking toward the hotel after apparating to King's Cross, Harry steered Draco toward a pub he had passed earlier in the day.
"Are you up for a pint?" he asked.
"A pint of what?"
"Ale, beer, lager, whatever you want."
"Muggle alcohol?" Draco questioned. "I've heard that's a bit stronger than butter beer."
"Surely you've had firewhisky."
"Yes, a few times."
"Come on, one Muggle ale won't do you in. I need a drink. Or two."
They stepped into the noisy pub, which was not unlike the Leaky Cauldron, except Muggle sport was playing on several tellies around the establishment. Peanut shells were strewn about the floor. People were talking and laughing, generally having a good time. Harry's spirits were lifted immediately.
"Is this all right?" He leaned very close to Draco's ear, as the noise right next to the bar made it difficult to hear.
Draco nodded, then followed Harry to one of the few empty small tables. It was a bit farther from the large telly and the cheering crowd.
"I'll be right back," Harry said.
He walked to the bar, which had a healthy crowd around it. He stepped up behind another customer and tried to catch the barmaid's eye. After serving two or three others, she got around to Harry.
"What can I get you luv?"
"Two lagers. Thanks." He flashed a grin.
"Particular brand?"
"Not feeling picky right now," Harry laughed.
"My kind of customer." She winked and turned to retrieve two bottles from a case. "Four quid," she said as she handed them over.
Harry dropped a fiver on the bar, not bothering to wait for the change. He walked to the high table where Draco was looking around the room like a tourist.
"What are they watching?" Draco asked.
"A sport called football. I supposed it's sort of like Quidditch, but all on the ground."
"That sounds boring."
"Oh, no, it isn't. I mean, it's not as complicated and dangerous as Quidditch. But for Muggles, it's quite enjoyable."
"Do you follow it?"
"No. My uncle and cousin did when I was a child, so I've watched some here and there."
"Was it difficult growing up like a Muggle when you knew you were special?"
Harry shrugged. "I didn't know I was special until I got my letter from Hogwarts. And until then, I was told I was . . ."
"What? You were told you were what?" Draco pressed.
Chuckling, Harry said, "Well, something much less than special."
"So the rumors about your childhood are true?" Draco leaned forward. "You really did live under the stairs?"
Harry nodded.
"Merlin's beard. What did you do when you realized you could do magic? Did you hex them?"
"No, of course not. You know we weren't allowed to perform magic outside of Hogwarts."
Draco laughed. "You must have been the only student who actually followed those rules."
Harry twisted the caps off the bottles and took a drink from his. It felt cold and refreshing going down.
"What else did your family do to you when you were young?" Draco asked.
"I don't really want to talk about that," Harry told him. "I'd rather concentrate on my life now. Go ahead," he urged Draco, "try it."
He watched as Draco first smelled it, made a face, then took a tiny sip.
"Crikey, that's awful."
"You'll get used to it."
"I doubt it. It tastes like a fekkin skunk."
Harry laughed out loud at Draco's sour face. It felt good to laugh. He hadn't done enough of that lately.
"I'll get you something different."
Harry got up and went back to the bar.
"Ready for another already?" The barmaid giggled.
"Actually, can we get a couple of ciders?"
"Sure thing. luv. Anything else? Crisps?"
"No, thank you. We're good."
He left the money on the bar again and took the new bottles back to Draco. On the way there, he was able to observe his drinking partner. He looked so handsome sitting there in the soft lighting of the pub, his grey eyes wide. Never did he ever think Draco could look innocent or unworldly. While Harry was busy admiring Draco from across the room, a woman approached his would-be paramour. The smile disappeared from Harry's face. She was moving in on his territory. He quickly moved through the mass of drunken partiers and stood before the pair. He held out one of the bottles to Draco.
"Here's your drink." He glared at the woman.
"This is Isabel," Draco said.
"Hi," Harry said curtly. "Excuse me." He squeezed past her to sit down.
"Oh, are you together?" She asked. "I have a friend over there. We could double."
"Double what?" asked Draco.
She laughed. "Double date, silly."
"I think you've misunderstood," Harry told her. "He's taken."
"He is?" Draco raised his eyebrow.
He and Harry found themselves in a staring contest. Only this time, Harry wasn't giving in.
Draco turned to the woman. "I'm afraid he's right. But it was lovely meeting you."
"Hmph. Your loss." She turned on her heel and walked away.
"I doubt that," Harry muttered. "Did you tell her your name?"
"Oh, yes. I told her I'm a wizard too." Draco snorted. "What do you take me for?"
"Sorry. We can't get friendly with any locals though. We need to stick to ourselves."
"Fine. I won't talk to anyone else. What's this?" Draco picked up a cider bottle.
"Cider. I thought you might like it better than the lager." Harry reached out and twisted off the cap.
Tentatively, Draco leaned forward and sniffed. Harry could see that he was cautiously assessing the new drink. He hadn't made a face so far, so Harry thought that was a positive. He decided to let Draco take his time, rather than urging him to try it this time.
Eventually, Draco picked up the bottle and sipped.
His eyebrows raised. "This isn't bad."
Harry grinned, feeling pretty chuffed that he made a good choice.
"You know, as much time as we've spent together the past few days, we haven't talked about much besides the case and Muggle things you don't understand," Harry said.
"So many Muggle things," Draco mumbled, then took another drink. "All right then, what would you like to talk about?"
"Well . . ." Harry wanted to know if Draco had a boyfriend he hadn't mentioned, but he figured he'd better work his way up to that one. "You have a private potions room. Do you plan on becoming an apothecary?"
"I did." Draco paused. "But that was when I was naive enough to think if I said I was sorry and renounced Death Eaters that people would forgive me."
"I forgave you."
"Then you should be my only customer."
"Hermione accepted your apology as well."
"You don't seriously believe she would trust me enough to drink one of my potions, do you?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe eventually."
"When? When Hell freezes over?"
"But you won't know unless you try. What have you got to lose? Perhaps you could apprentice with someone. At the very least, you would become proficient in potion-making. At best, you could gain a reputable standing and someday open your own shop."
"When you say things like that, I can almost believe it's possible."
Draco's expression was difficult for Harry to read. He seemed hopeful, yet sad. It wasn't the first time Harry had seen that look.
The crowd at the bar cheered again. In another section of the pub, people began to sing You'll Never Walk Alone.
"Why are those Muggles singing? Are they all pissed?"
"Probably." Harry laughed. "But a new game is starting on that telly back there. It's an anthem. Sort of like when we all sang the Hogwarts song before the great feast occasionally."
"Well, at least these folks seem to all be singing the same tune," Draco noted.
He finished his cider, then surreptitiously eyed the other one. But Harry still noticed and pushed it toward Draco.
"You can have the other cider. I'll take your lager." Without waiting for him to respond, Harry drank from Draco's abandoned bottle. He warmed at the thought that Draco had his lips wrapped around it earlier.
"What about you? I suppose you've always wanted to be an Auror?"
"Oh, yes. Ron and I both. My ultimate goal is to be Minister of Magic someday."
"I believe you could achieve almost anything, Potter."
Harry drank again, frowning slightly. "Why do you still call me Potter?"
"It's your name."
"My name is Harry."
"I know," Draco chuckled. "But it seems to annoy you a bit that I call you Potter. It's fun to annoy you."
Harry opened his mouth to confirm that fact. Then it occurred to him that Draco didn't mean it out of malice. Perhaps it was his way of connecting with Harry. And if Harry was being honest, he kind of liked it. He felt that it was better than being treated with reserved civility, or worse, being ignored.
"And what of the rest of your hopes and dream? Married, with two children and a dog by the time you're thirty? A terraced home on the outskirts of some Muggle town?"
"Um, I haven't really thought about it," Harry said. "Although, I do live in a terraced home in Islington."
"Not champing at the bit to make the She-weasel an honest woman?"
"She-weasel. You mean Ginny? We broke up ages ago."
"Oh, I had no idea. Sorry."
"I'm not."
"That's harsh. Especially for you. She must have been heart-broken to lose The Chosen One's love."
Harry's mouth hung open. How could Draco have thought he was still with Ginny? Their break-up was very public. Rita Skeeter had outed him to the entire Wizarding world. And though it was embarrassing and humiliating for a few months, once he was out, Harry was greatly relieved.
As he downed the last of his lager, he wondered what must have been going through Draco's head all this time. He flirted. They flirted. Harry kissed him. He wanked Harry. They argued over who was going to sacrifice himself for the other. And yet, Draco thought Harry was ready to propose to Ginny.
"Draco, I'm not with Ginny because I'm gay."
Draco blinked, then laughed to himself.
"What's funny?"
"All this time I thought I was playing with you. But it was you playing me."
"You were playing with me?" Harry was crestfallen.
"I was only teasing. You didn't seem to mind. But I didn't realize why. I suppose I heard some sort of rumors going on about you."
"How could you not? It was all over the papers," Harry said, cringing at the memory of Skeeter's headlines.
Draco let out a huff. "I was a little busy trying to pull my life together to pay attention to gossip."
"Yeah, it's all about you," Harry scowled. "I protected you and cared for you when you were injured. I've gone out of my way to be accommodating and make sure you're comfortable in the Muggle world. All you cared about was annoying me and taking the piss. You can't just play with people's feelings like that."
Harry surprised even himself with his tirade. He got off his stool.
"Where are you going?" Draco asked, looking quite taken aback.
"To get another drink."
Harry felt like such an idiot. While he was developing feelings for Draco, thinking they had a chance at real friendship at the very least, Draco was making a fool of him. He should have known better. And worse, Ron was onto him.
He stepped up to the considerably more crowded bar once again. He wasn't even in the mood to flirt with the barmaid in order to get better service. He took a tenner out, held it up and waited.
As luck would have it, the same barmaid was available when it was his turn.
"Two more ciders?" She asked.
"Two whiskys."
"Brand?"
"I don't care. Whatever this will buy." Then he realized he was taking his anger at Draco out on her. "Please."
While he waited, he began to calm down. The more he thought about it, the more he was upset with himself. It wasn't Draco's fault, really. It wasn't his fault Harry was attracted to him.
The barmaid placed two small tumblers of amber liquid on the bar. "Date not going well?"
"Uh, what?"
"You've ordered progressively stronger drinks. Needing some liquid courage?"
"More like drowning my sorrows. Is it that obvious?"
"Keep your pecker up." She grinned. "He hasn't stopped looking your way since you've been up here."
Harry turned quickly to find that she was correct. When he turned back, the barmaid winked.
"Cheers!" She picked up the note and walked away.
Harry carried the drinks carefully to the table, deciding to take a different approach with Draco. He regretted his outburst, but maybe Draco had the right idea. He was trying to make the best of a bad situation by having a bit of fun at Harry's expense. Harry needed to lighten up as well.
"Yet another drink," Draco commented.
"Whisky. Not quite the same as firewhisky, but close. You might want to take small sips."
This time, Draco didn't smell it first, he simply drank it.
"Cor, that's strong."
"Why do cows wear bells?"
"Sorry?"
"Why do cows wear bells?"
Shaking his head, Draco answered, "How the fuck should I know?"
"Because their horns don't work."
"Is that your attempt at a joke, Potter?"
Harry laughed. "Can you do better?"
"What holds a magic book together?"
"I don't know, what?"
"Spell binding."
They both laughed and downed their drinks.
"What did the wizard say to the vampire?" Draco asked. When Harry shrugged, he answered, "You suck."
Draco stood and took out his wallet. "My turn to pay."
"Wait, tell me another joke."
"How do you keep a wizard in suspense?" He paused. "I'll tell you tomorrow."
Harry watched him walk up to the bar. He fought the urge to go and help him order. He'll figure it out, Harry thought. Then he wondered when Draco learned to tell jokes. He tried to think of another one before Draco returned.
"Did you hear about the boy who dropped out of Hogwarts?" Harry asked as Draco placed two more tumblers on the table.
"No, what boy?"
"Yeah, turns out he couldn't spell."
Draco smirked. "Lame. Instead of making up terrible jokes, tell me a true funny story."
Harry proceeded to tell him the story of a library book that was spelled by Madame Pince to fart when it was overdue. Unfortunately for Harry, it began to let loose as he was chatting up Cho Chang. She ended up going with him to Madam Puddifoot's but it was awful.
Draco then told him about some of the practical jokes he played on Crabbe and Goyle when they were young. Before the boys got much bigger and better at retaliating.
By the end of the evening, they were laughing at nearly everything, having drunk lager, cider, and a few rounds of whisky. They left the pub as Harry was telling Draco about the time Ron talked dirty to Lavender right in front of Professor Trelawny.
"And then he says, Can I look at Uranus too Lavender? But Trelawny was so oblivious, she never caught on."
Draco stumbled on a bit of pavement sticking up, prompting Harry to catch him by the arm. They giggled at Draco's gracelessness, but Harry didn't let go as they continued walking toward the hotel.
"Who'd have thought Lavender Brown was Weasley's bum chum," Draco slurred a bit.
"Oh, I doubt he ever got that far with her. We were awfully young."
After a few moments, Draco tripped again. "Why aren't you as pissed as me? I'm certain I would fall down if you weren't holding me up."
"Because you're a lightweight," Harry chuckled. "Not that I'm a lush. But I'm used to Muggle alcohol."
When they entered the lobby, the receptionist smiled and said, "Good evening gentlemen."
She appeared a bit concerned when Draco lost his footing briefly.
"Alright?" She called.
Harry put up a hand. "Brilliant, thanks."
"I nearly went arse over tit," Draco told her.
"I see." She tried to hide her grin behind her hand. "Do you need any help with the lift?"
"I can manage," Harry assured her. He wasn't feeling more than a bit tipsy, unlike Draco. He got him into the lift and pushed the button. The doors closed, revealing a rather blurry mirrored image of them.
"We make a handsome pair," Draco slurred.
Harry thought so as well, but he dared not acknowledge that. He knew to take everything Draco said with a pinch of salt. The man was not likely to remember anything in the morning anyway. But the way he stared at Harry's reflection was making him uncomfortable. Harry was thankful when the door opened and he could get Draco into the room, and to sleep.
Harry guided Draco to the bed, took off his shoes and pushed him back gently to lie down. Assuming Draco would fall asleep instantly, Harry went into the loo. He put his glasses on the small shelf under the mirror in order to wash his face. He took his time massaging his skin, then drying off with the luxurious hotel towel. He brushed his teeth well to get the lingering taste of whisky out of his mouth.
Staring back at himself, Harry was more confused than ever regarding his feelings toward Draco. Draco admitted to playing with Harry, teasing just to get a rise out of him. Unfortunately, finding out that information didn't squelch his attraction for him. On the other hand, they had a lovely evening talking about their lighter moments at Hogwarts. Draco shared more of the goings-on in Slytherin than Harry would have expected. It had been ages since Harry loosened up, drinking and enjoying the company of another man.
By the time he came out of the loo, Harry wasn't feeling quite as light-headed as before. He was surprised to find Draco sitting on the edge of the bed, appearing completely sober.
"Hangover potion," Draco said sheepishly. "I stashed some in my pack when I was home."
"Oh. Probably for the best. You were fairly blathered."
"Thanks for getting me home, er, here, in one piece."
"My pleasure."
Draco stood. "I want to apologize."
"No need." Harry tried to walk past him, but Draco reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Yes, there is. I . . . misrepresented my intentions."
"What do you mean?"
Draco swallowed hard before answering Harry's question. "I did know about the rumors Skeeter spread. I hadn't known they were confirmed. I suppose part of me hoped they were true."
Harry froze. Was Draco saying that Harry's feelings weren't completely one-sided?
Continuing, Draco said, "It was a bit confusing. You kept saying that you were only doing your job. But then you kissed me. Then you called it a mistake. I . . . thought I'd pushed it too far when I," he cleared his throat, "touched you. So I told you there was nothing to it."
Harry silently gazed at him while he spoke. He was only a breath away.
"I had a wonderful time tonight. I wanted to keep a clear head, but I also didn't want you to think I was a tosser. I fear my actions in my drunken stupor may have lowered your opinion of me."
Harry shook his head.
"Good. Because, these past several days have shown me that you actually earned your reputation as our Gryffindor hero. You are brave and daring. And chivalrous. Even when I was a prat, you were gracious and . . . gentlemanly."
Finally, Harry found his voice. "But I lost my nerve. Not very Gryffindor of me."
"Nerve for what?" Draco breathed.
"To tell you . . ."
Rather than finish his sentence, Harry closed the narrow space between them and pressed his mouth to Draco's. When he met no resistance, he moved his lips softly and slowly. Draco tilted his head, returning the kiss with more force.
Harry felt Draco's arms wrap around his waist. His own hands went straight for Draco's hair. It was baby-soft, yet thick–exactly how he's imagined it to be.
They snogged forever, groping at one another's body. They squeezed and rubbed and frotted against each other. Harry's cock was hard, aching to be released from the confinement of his trousers. He wanted Draco's hands on it again. But this time, he wanted to be an active participant.
"Draco," he whispered. "I want you. It's been so hard to keep my hands to myself."
"Yes."
While they continued snogging, Harry untucked Draco's shirt, breaking contact only long enough to pull it over Draco's head. He swiftly removed his own shirt. Harry growled in frustration at not being able keep his mouth firmly on Draco's while he tried to take off his trousers. Giving up on doing both, he finished stripping, then moved on to the rest of Draco's clothing.
Though he'd seen Draco nude when they first were on the run, he was no less excited by the sight before him. Draco's cock was stiff and dark pink, glistening at the tip.
Harry guided Draco toward the bed and pushed him down onto it. He'd been thinking about getting inside Draco's perfect little arse all week. He was unbearably hard now that he was so close to being there. Nestling himself between Draco's legs, he gently ran a finger around his hole. Draco jumped.
"Oh, sorry. I should have warned you. And used lube." Harry found his wand and performed a spell similar to an Aguamenti. But instead of water, it produce lubrication.
"This should feel better," he said, leaning forward to try again to ready Draco for him.
Draco put a hand on Harry's chest. "Wait."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm, I'm a . . . virgin."
"Oh. Well, that's all right. I'll bottom for you." Harry started to switch their positions.
"No. I mean . . . a virgin . . . virgin."
Harry stared. It was difficult to believe anyone was still a virgin at twenty. He'd heard so many stories at Hogwarts of students on the pull. Even though he told Draco he didn't think Ron shagged Lavender up the arse, he still suspected they did it the usual way.
"And now you don't want me. I'm too inexperienced," Draco said.
"No, that's not it. But perhaps we ought to slow down a bit."
Draco sighed. "I'm sorry."
"For what? Being honest? I'd rather you did that, than let me . . . I don't even know the consequences for shagging a witness." He lay down next to Draco. "But I bet it'd be worth it."
"Who will know what we're doing?"
Harry's brow furrowed.
"Your conscience," Draco snickered. "I suppose that's what makes you so Gryffindor."
After an awkward pause, Draco whispered, "I've already wanked you once. What's once more?"
"Are you sure?"
"I may not be ready to shag, but I definitely want to touch you again."
"I want to touch you too."
Harry reached down and began to stroke Draco–slowly at first, but he was spurred on by the moans and gasps Draco made. He rolled to his side so he could take them both in hand. He rubbed them together, squeezing up, then down. Harry watched their cocks poke through his loose fist over and over.
"Oh, Harry."
Upon hearing his name, Harry devoured Draco's mouth, exploring every bit of it with his tongue. He couldn't be arsed about any consequences he might face for getting involved with a witness or suspect in a case. Not when he heard Draco whisper his name over and over.
Suddenly, Draco gasped and moaned. Harry's hand felt warm and sticky. He was so close. Speeding up his movements, he came shortly after, panting heavily.
They lay in sweaty silence until their hearts calmed and they cooled down. Harry grabbed his wand from the side table to clean them up. Without bothering to re-dress, he pulled the covers over both of them and snuggled close to Draco.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"I think I know what it is," Draco replied. "You want to know why I've never . . ."
"I was wondering, but, it's not my business."
"I've just never had the opportunity," Draco told him. "By the time I started to explore my sexuality, I was sucked into the world of the Death Eaters. I was far too busy trying to survive to be worried about sex and love. Then, when the war was over, no one was interested in me. Not that I blame them. And I've spent the past year prostrating myself to get into the Wizarding world's good books."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. When I was on the run with Ron and Hermione, Ginny was the last thing on my mind." He chuckled. "Well, there may have been more than one reason for that."
"Why were you with her if you're gay?"
Harry sighed. "I was in denial for many years. I confused friendship for love. Probably from watching Ron and Hermione dance around their feelings for so long. I thought I should have been in love with Ginny."
"Have you ever been?" Asked Draco.
"Um . . ."
"But you've obviously had sex."
"They don't necessarily go hand in hand." Harry turned his head to look at Draco. "Do you think I'm a scrubber?"
"No." Draco paused. "Unless you tell me you'e had, say, twenty partners."
Harry laughed. "Nothing at near that. But, um, I have probably taken advantage of my fame more than I should have. I've had several one-offs."
"Anyone I know?"
"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."
"Right. I forgot. I haven't run into too many of those."
Draco leaned forward, kissing Harry gently. Harry happily returned it.
"We should go to sleep," Harry said.
"Mmm." Draco already sounded sleepy.
Harry pulled him closer, spooning from behind. Before long, he was deep into dreamland. It would be the first night, since they were attacked, that Harry slept the entire night.