A/N – Hope you guys like it! Please review xx

Don't let the sun go down on me

Chapter 2

Harry and Draco sat at a table in the quietest pub known to man. Being early evening, the only occupants were day drinkers who had nursed the same drink for hours and had remained in the pub purely to avoid going home, and the evening customers were yet to begin filtering in.

The smell of stale beer and dirty upholstery clung to the air, with the table tops feeling sticky to the touch after having only been wiped over with the same dirty dishrag day after day. It wasn't an establishment either man would frequent voluntarily, and both made silent oaths to forgo using the restrooms during the visit.

Harry, who was still stunned that Draco had even agreed to accompany him for a drink, had nervously bounded into the bar and ordered two pints of lager before he'd even looked around properly. He glanced at Draco who was perching on the edge of a seat with a look of utter disdain on his smooth, pale face and wondered what the hell he was doing.

When he'd decided to go back to the coffee shop to speak to Malfoy again, he hadn't planned much further than the blonde telling him to beat it. He hadn't dreamed he'd find himself in a pub with him, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do once they were sat together.

Draco looked just as stunned as Harry felt, and was sat ram rod straight, touching as little of the seat as he could possibly manage. Harry noticed the blonde had yet to remove his coat and satchel, and he had a feeling the blonde didn't intend on hanging around too long.

Taking a deep breath and picking up the 2 pint glasses filled with lager, Harry fixed a smile on his face and made his way into the snake pit.

Draco was freaking out! His eyes flickered around the dirtiest pub in Britain and he asked himself, once again, how the hell he'd found himself there. His designer coat, that he'd saved over a year for, was touching the dirty seat and his brogues were sticking to the carpet, and he sent a death glare at Harry's back as he felt his blood pressure climb along with his anxiety.

Draco disliked dirt. Yes, he was a school teacher which came with a certain amount of mess and germs, and he could handle that because he always kept hand sanitiser on his desk and art supplies washed out of clothes quite easily, but dirt was a different story.

He watched as Harry turned to face him with his goofy Gryffindor smile, which faltered slightly when he caught sight of Draco's expression before he rallied himself, and he made his way over to the table with 2 pint glasses.

Now, when Harry had said 'go for a pint', Draco had taken that as a figure of speech, however, as he looked down at the drink Harry had presented him with, he belatedly realised he should have requested a drink he actually liked.

Harry lowered himself into the seat opposite Draco, grimacing slightly as his made contact with it, but he pushed the thought away. He could tell Draco was repulsed by the state of the place and didn't want to acknowledge it too, in case the other man used it as an excuse to leave. So, he kept his distaste to himself and groped for something to say.

"So, you're a teacher." Harry smiled, lifting his pint glass and sipping at his drink. It tasted foul, he had no idea why he bought himself one. However, Draco had agreed to go for a 'pint', and Harry didn't want the blonde to think he was stuffy by ordering a whiskey. Quite frankly, he was surprised that the former Slytherin drank lager, he was almost sure he was a red wine drinker, judging by his coat and shoes.

Draco felt exposed as Harry turned his gaze onto him, his infamous emerald eyes like laser scanners and Draco felt as though they pierced through to his very soul. He resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably before remembering the brunette was waiting for him to respond.

"Yes." Draco replied simply, and he realised after a beat that his tone held a small amount of challenge, as though he was willing Harry to make fun of his choice of career.

Harry, to Draco's surprise, smiled warmly as he lifted his glass again, and he held eye contact as he drank a few mouthfuls of lager. Draco refused to break the eye contact, even as it become entirely uncomfortable, and though he knew he was being ridiculous and that it no longer mattered, the old rivalry from their youth stopped him from looking away first.

The former Gryffindor breathed a small laugh as he placed his glass on the table, and he then did something that completely threw Draco off his guard. Harry crossed his eyes before uncrossing them, watching Draco's reaction with a smirk.

Draco was caught between wanting to laugh and being terrified for Harry's mental health, and something in his expression caused the brunette to laugh, "Relax, Malfoy, you look ready to apparate into thin air." He chuckled, shaking his head with mirth.

Draco glanced around, unsure if he was a part of some elaborate joke constructed by the Gryffindor, and Granger and Weasley were hiding in the corner laughing, or if Harry was actually crazy. He was swaying towards the latter. "Have you got mental health issues? Do you need me to call a Gryffindor?" Draco asked, his eyes wide with mock concern.

Harry rolled his eyes, sipping at his drink again. He placed it back on the table with a clunk and leaned closer to the blonde, his eyes narrowed, "Aren't you sick of all the politics, Malfoy? House rivalry, blood purity, family name…aren't you sick of it?" Harry asked seriously, genuinely interested in Draco's perspective.

Draco visibly bristled, his expression mirroring Harry's as his grey eyes narrowed into slits, "I'm living as a muggle! I stopped living my life by those politics a decade ago," he informed waspishly, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

He was annoyed that Harry was implying he was the class snob he'd been when he was a teenager. He'd worked so hard to make amends for all the shitty things he'd done as a kid and to become a decent member of society; he didn't appreciate being reminded of the fact he was ultimately still the same person.

"Have you considered that maybe I'm not uncomfortable because I'm a pureblooded, Slytherin, Malfoy," he snapped, "But because you're being incredibly weird…and you're expecting me to drink this goblin piss." He added, pushing the pint of lager towards Harry, causing some of the fluid to splash over the top of the rim and onto the table.

Harry scowled at the mess on the table before levelling it at Draco, "Was that really necessary?" he moaned. On the surface, he was irritated that the other man felt the need to be so juvenile; with his words and his actions. However, further into his subconscious, Harry was impressed by the former Slytherin's honesty. After all, he could have simply played the pureblood card.

Harry was aware his behaviour was odd – his ambush of the other man was solid proof of that – and he wasn't ready to address why he felt so compelled to spend time with Draco. He could address the blonde's other complaint though. Without warning, Harry stood and walked away from the table, leaving Draco with a bittersweet triumph that he'd pushed the Gryffindor away.

Draco stood, taking Harry's departure as his cue to leave, and his eyes landed on the door that would mark his escape back to his anonymous life. A small part of his brain questioned if that was really what he wanted. He was surprised that Harry had given up so easily, considering his track record of being like a dog with a bone, and the confirmation that it was that easy to cut his losses and leave Draco in the disgusting pub alone smarted a little.

Draco's stomach jumped up into his chest when he noticed Harry approaching him, "I figured you were a red wine drinker but didn't want to offend you before," the brunette admitted with a sheepish grin. He held a glass of wine and placed it on the table, his grin slowly melting away as he took in Draco's position. "Are you going?"

Draco was at a loss. He really wanted to go home and go back to being 'that odd man with no friends, who lived alone and taught kids their ABCs' (he'd once heard one of his neighbours refer to him that way). However, he was also incredibly intrigued. Harry had guessed his preferred drink with absolutely no clues and gone and fetched one even after Draco had sniped at him; plus, he looked almost disappointed by the prospect of Draco leaving.

Deciding to see what it was Harry wanted from him, Draco sank back down into his seat, and against his better judgement, he reached across and picked up the wine glass. With a gulp that was unbecoming of a man from such good stock, Draco drained half of his glass of the cheap, warm wine with a grimace. Harry, who watched him, his dark eyebrows lost in his fringe, mirrored Draco's movements by drinking from his own glass.

Harry really wished Draco would speak. He had thought for a moment that the blonde was going to bolt whilst he was at the bar, and the way his stomach had restricted at the thought of Draco disappearing from his life again had frightened him. Grasping at any information that the blonde had already shared that he could use to coax a conversation from him, Harry cleared his throat.

"So, do you ever visit our world or…?" he asked lightly, attempting once again to break through Draco's walls. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he was unsurprised when Draco immediately stiffened. The blonde once again took a long gulp of wine, his eyes flickering around the room, as though determining how much he could say with muggles in such close proximity. He placed his glass down on the table and heaved a small sigh, his eyes landing back on Harry's face with an expression of resignation.

"I no longer belong in the wizarding world; I don't think I ever did in the first place." He murmured, almost sadly. His expression changed, taking on a fiercer edge, as did his tone, "I like my life now, and I'm not prepared for it to be invaded by everything that comes with you."

Harry's stomach clenched at the dig and willed it not to show on his face. How very well he knew that his presence generally came with undesirable effects for those it touched. He thought of Ginny who seemed to become more miserable the longer she stayed married to him, and Ron and Hermione, whom had slowly become so distant that he only really saw them at Weasley family gatherings. It made Harry's heart hurt that the family he once thought he belonged to had drifted further from his reach. It suddenly occurred to him how very lonely he was.

Draco shifted uncomfortably the longer Harry remained silent, and a drop of icy guilt slid into the pit of his stomach that maybe he had hit a nerve. Harry had yet to mention anything about himself and a thought occurred to Draco that fell from his lips before he even thought it through, "You know thinking about it, I don't think I've ever seen you without Weasel and Granger self-righteously flanking you," he smirked, letting some of the schoolboy drawl he'd affected as a youth drip into his tone. Harry rolled his eyes, unaffected by the remark. "and didn't you marry the Weasley girl?" Draco added as an afterthought.

That was the nerve and he'd apparently hit it with a sledge-hammer. Harry glanced away, swallowing so hard that his Adam's apple appeared to rigidly press out of the soft skin of his throat. His limbs seemed to retract towards his body; his arms folding against his chest and his legs jerking under the table which he'd tried to pass off as shifting his position on his seat. Draco would be lying if he'd said he wasn't intrigued.

Harry, realising his gaff, scrambled to play it down, "Were you hoping to have a little pow wow with Ron and Hermione too, then?" Harry laughed, a false brightness colouring his tone; the smile that sprang onto his face didn't quite reach his eyes.

Draco sneered, genuine repulsion stealing over him. Even after all these years, he still detested Weasley and the buck-toothed know-it-all Mudblood, "Not even if my life depended on it," he growled, distaste evident on his smooth pale features.

Harry smirked and raised his glass in a mock salute, "I'm sure the feeling is quite mutual," he laughed before draining his glass of the last vestiges of alcohol.

Draco watched the brunette, calculating. Harry had obviously chosen his words carefully, leading with Ron and Hermione in order to distract him which almost worked. However, Draco noticed that, though Harry had answered part of his query, he had left out any mention of his wife. Draco narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the man before him. Something really wasn't right with The Boy Who Lived, and Draco wanted to know what it was. "So, what of your ginger wife then?" he asked, watching Harry closely.

Harry visibly cringed, though deftly covered it by lifting his hand and scratching at the back of his neck. He shrugged, "What about her?" he asked apparently aiming for nonchalance, however, his eyes gave him away by glancing around them, uncomfortably.

Draco felt his interest pique even higher. However, as he registered Harry's obvious discomfort, he theorised that life as a muggle had made him more Hufflepuff than Slytherin, and he found himself sympathising with the brunette. He dropped the subject, though filed the information away to mull over later.

Glancing at Harry's empty glass, Draco grasped for a subject change, "Would you like another Goblin piss, or have you fulfilled whatever weird desire you had to annoy me?" he drawled, a smirk sliding across his face.

Harry's mouth quirked into a grateful lopsided smile and he visibly relaxed upon realising he didn't have to answer Draco's question. The blonde, much to his chagrin, felt his own lips begin to form a small smile before he rolled his eyes, lifted his glass and downed the rest of his wine. He was beginning to feel the tingly warmth that accompanied alcohol travel through his body and reminded himself not to drink much more, otherwise Harry may as well have spiked him with veritaserum for the effects wine had on Draco's inhibitions. Probably best not to start spilling his life secrets to his childhood enemy in the middle of a muggle pub!

"Yeah, go on then, Malfoy, why not?" Harry asked rhetorically, sliding his glass over to Draco with an expression Draco couldn't quite read.

Harry watched Draco rise from his seat and saunter over to the bar. It surprised him how gracefully the other man moved and he cringed as he considered his own bumbling, clumsy gait. He heaved a small sigh of relief that he hadn't needed to discuss Ginny. Somehow the blonde man had understood the subject wasn't one Harry wanted to delve into, and rather than press the matter as he would have done in his youth, the former Slytherin had been courteous and…considerate. Harry bit his lip as he fought to laugh out loud because there was no way Draco Malfoy was considerate!

"One goblin piss," Draco smirked, depositing the pint glass in front of Harry. He sank down to perch on the edge of his own seat, shifting his bag when it got in the way. He seemed to have an internal battle with himself before he began to unbutton his coat and with one liquid movement, he extricated himself from his coat before laying it neatly over the chair beside him.

Harry watched him over the top of his glass, resisting the urge to smile. He felt he must have won some of the blonde's trust as he had clearly resigned himself to being at the pub long enough to remove his coat.

Once he was adequately comfortable, Draco glanced around the pub before focusing his gaze on Harry. Harry placed his glass back on the table and sat back in his chair in a display of being relaxed.

"So, Malfoy, what's your story?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded as genuinely interested as he felt. Since the little scene with the child outside the coffee shop had taken place, Harry's curiosity had been steadily climbing and he could no longer hold it in. "I mean, a muggle teacher; that is literally the last thing I'd expect you to be doing." Harry laughed, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation.

Draco, on the other hand, wasn't laughing. He was clutching his wine glass so tightly the glass threatened to break. Harry noticed his jaw had clenched and quickly began to back pedal. "I didn't mean that as an insult, I just meant you'd never really shown any indication at school that you…"

"You didn't know me at school! You only knew what I wanted you to know, which was as little as possible." Draco's voice lashed out, his grey eyes flashing. Harry raised his eyebrows and remained quiet, he held eye contact with the blonde until Draco visibly ran out of steam. Regret appeared on the blonde's features for a fraction of a second before it was hidden by impassiveness.

"Look, that probably wasn't the best way to say it, but I'd genuinely like to know." Harry tried again, "I can see why you'd teach because you were ridiculously clever at school, but what made you decide to teach muggles?"

Draco gave Harry a long look, waging an internal battle with himself. He had no shame about his life, but he was wary about sharing the details of it with the saviour himself! He lifted his wine glass and took a long drink, buying himself some time to consider his reply. Harry, to his credit, appeared to be doing his best not to push him.

"I told you, I don't belong in the wizarding world; I've been living as a muggle for the last 10 years, so, it was just natural that I'd teach at a muggle school." He murmured, drinking from his glass again as his nerves jangled. He forced himself to remain calm as Harry spluttered incoherently and reasoned that it did sound pretty unbelievable.

"Define 'living as a muggle'?" Harry asked, his tone incredulous, his drink all but forgotten. He assumed when Draco had first mentioned living as muggle he'd meant living in the muggle world discreetly as a wizard…

Draco smirked, "I don't use magic. I haven't since I left Hogwarts." He said, raising one of his perfect silver eyebrows, "I went to muggle university and trained to be a teacher the muggle way." He added with a shrug, watching Harry's face closely. He had to give the former Gryffindor props, he was handling the information relatively well, all things considered.

Harry's brain felt as though it was buzzing like a swarm of angry wasps and he did his best not to let it show on his face as Malfoy was watching him intently. Well, he guessed, the magical static he'd felt radiating from Draco earlier now made sense, considering he'd said he didn't use magic. He tried to process the unbelievable information the blonde had given him but needed to know more.

"You went to muggle university? How?" Harry asked knowing that Draco wouldn't have been able to put Hogwarts on his application.

Draco shifted his body in what Harry could only describe as embarrassment, and looked down at his drink, "Okay, maybe I used magic a little in the beginning to sort out documents, but I hardly had a choice." He said, apparently feeling the need to justify himself. "Everything else was all done properly though before you go thinking I cheated in any way!" he added, his expression deadly serious.

Harry felt his eyebrows disappear into his fringe, "That didn't even occur to me, Malfoy," Harry said honestly, surprised by Draco's obvious need for him to know he was playing by his own rules, and the blonde visibly relaxed, seemingly believing that Harry understood.

"How has it been then; fitting in with the muggles?" Harry asked. He couldn't help imagining Draco signing paperwork with a crayon or shouting down a telephone like Ron had done in their youth, unfamiliar with how it worked.

"It was obviously quite a learning curve; I made a lot of mistakes at first, and it took me a few years to get my magic under control," He supplied, gazing at his wine glass as he traced the rim with his index finger. He lost himself for a moment in memories of him attempting you use muggle technology for the first time. He shuddered as he remembered using the underground transport system back in the early days. An elderly muggle man had taken pity on him and helped him navigate the ticket turnstiles and circled the stops he needed on a map with a kind smile.

Harry cleared his throat and Draco jolted back to reality, blinking several times as he focused back on the brunette. Harry smiled; his eyes narrowed as though trying to puzzle something out. "You didn't hear me, did you?" he asked, amused. When Draco continued to look at him, Harry smiled brighter and repeated himself, "Have you had many outbursts? I've seen the affects of supressed magic and it can be pretty dangerous." He said, turning serious.

Draco shook his head gently, "I'm not supressing my magic; I'm just choosing not to use it, there's a difference." He informed, his tone tight. Harry had a feeling he wasn't comfortable with the line of questioning and rather than push him for an answer to his query, Harry shifted the topic.

"How did you come to be teaching primary school?" Harry asked, his tone light. He'd liked the way the former Slytherin had interacted with the muggle child before and he smiled as he remembered the boy beaming at the blonde.

"I had to do a mandatory placement during university and my tutor took pity on me and set me up at her husband's primary school." Draco laughed lightly, "I loved the innocence of the children there, untouched by social conformity and just happy with being alive. It was refreshing."

Harry was impressed with blonde's honesty as he explained his life choices. The smile that kept tugging at his soft pale lips had Harry wanting to return it, his chest felt so light he thought he might start floating. How very odd.

Harry contributed little to the conversation and when he did, he was cautious of mentioning the magical world due to the way Draco would clam up and glance at the exit when he did so. Harry was simply content with allowing the blonde to chat about his life as a muggle, and noticed the more wine he drank, the more open the blonde seemed to become.

So, it came as a surprise when Draco voiced a question of his own.

"So, come on then, what's the deal with you and your Weasley wife?" Draco asked, emboldened by the alcohol in his system. He watched Harry closely, noting with interest how the brunette cringed again at the mention of his wife.

"Who says there's a deal?" Harry slurred, making an exaggerated expression of confusion with his face.

"Well, the way you act weird…well, weirder for you, whenever I mention her. I lived behind a mask for 18 years, I know when someone is deflecting." Draco explained, gazing at Harry empathetically.

Harry turned his head away, annoyed that Malfoy was pushing the subject when he obviously knew he was uncomfortable with it. "It's complicated, Malfoy" Harry said, irritated that his tone was more pleading than the harshness he'd been aiming for. It seemed to spur the former Slytherin on.

"Complicated? That's a cop-out." He spat, echoing the boy he'd been at school. He seemed to be personally insulted by Harry's refusal to share when he had shared so much himself. "If you're not going to be honest, why are we sat here?"

Harry felt his face heat up as Draco pointed out the hypocrisy. He didn't know why he said it, but his mouth opened up and the words tumbled out before he could even stop them, "We both sleep with other men. Honest enough for you!"

A deafening silence settled over the table as Draco absorbed what the brunette had just shared, whilst Harry could only hear the rushing of blood in his ears. He stood abruptly, knocking the table and causing the remaining drinks to slosh about unsteadily. Draco's hands flew out to catch the glasses, however Draco's wine glass toppled over, spilling its contents over the edge of the table. "I'll get you another drink." Harry said in a rush before making a hasty retreat to the bar.

Draco sat frozen at the table, still holding the glasses, in shock at Harry's confession. He looked up to watch the other man at the bar, who's head was in his hands, and tried to process the information he'd just received before he came back. Had Harry just confessed that he slept with men?! And the Weasley wife slept with other men, too? Why were they even married?! Draco thought incredulously.

He watched Harry make his return to the table, a tray in his hand that trembled ever so slightly. Draco tried to keep his expression as clear as possible, however when he spotted the contents of the tray, he felt his eyes bulge slightly.

Harry had brought a bottle of wine as well as 4 shots of some sort of clear alcohol, and 2 glasses of whiskey with ice.

Harry kept his gaze focused on the tray, avoiding eye contact with Draco, "If you want me to be honest, I need alcohol." He explained, chancing a glance at Draco as he sank into his seat. Draco's eyebrows were raised in what could only be read as concern for his blood alcohol ratio as his eyes flickered to the tray and back to Harry. "Lots of it." Harry added, feeling slightly less terrified of Draco shrieking gay slurs at him as he watched the blonde react to the amount of alcohol on the table. "Have a shot." Harry said, pushing a shot glass into Draco's hand before picking one up himself and draining it in one mouthful.

Draco watched Harry down his shot like a pro and glanced at the one he held in his hand. He didn't really drink anything other than wine, so he was sure he was going to look a complete idiot when the unknown liquid connected with his taste buds. It didn't help that Harry had already moved on to one of the glasses of whiskey. With a deep breath, Draco threw the shot into his mouth and swallowed quickly, gagging unceremoniously.

"Merlin, that is hideous!" Draco choked, his eyes watering as the alcohol burned a trail down his throat, He coughed, closing his eyes momentarily, before reaching for another drink to wash his mouth out. Unfortunately, he had picked up the other glass of whiskey and swallowed it before he'd even realised what he'd picked up.

His eyes flew open as realisation dawned on him when yet more foul-tasting alcohol made its way down his oesophagus and he caught sight of Harry's stunned expression, though his mouth seemed to be twitching convulsively as though he desperately wanted to laugh. Draco coughed behind his hand, mortified by how ridiculously he was handling the situation. This was why he stuck to coffee most of the time!

"The shot or me and Ginny?" Harry asked in a small voice, replying to Draco's off hand comment whilst sipping at his whiskey calmly, catching Draco off-guard. The blonde, who had been focused on keeping the contents of his stomach where it belonged, fixed Harry with a hard stare.

What was he supposed to say; The idea of you and the female Weasley turns my stomach and I don't know why you'd want to continue this charade?!

Draco blinked, clearing his throat and shifting uncomfortably, "Both!" He answered honestly. His head swam for a moment as the affects of the different types of alcohol began to make themselves known, and he took a deep steadying breath before extending his answer, "Why do you live like that?"

Harry was prepared for the question, having asked it of himself numerous times, and reminded Draco of his earlier statement, "It's one of those things that comes with me," he murmured, watching the blonde's reaction.

Draco looked down at the table as Harry repeated his earlier comment, aware that the former Gryffindor was deflecting again. The alcohol currently swirling around his system pulled a little more at Draco's focus and his vision swam violently. He pressed the balls of his hands into his closed eyes, before blinking a few times. He caught a glimpse of the smirk of Harry's face and ploughed forward with his questioning, "So you cheat on each other?" he asked, focusing once again on the brunette's, now stricken, face.

Harry busied himself by opening the bottle of wine he had gotten Draco and pouring him a glass. He swirled the liquid around for a few moments before handing it to the blonde, "I don't really see it as cheating," he replied, his eyes focused on the glass rather than Draco.

Draco automatically accepted the glass; however, he shook his head incredulously at Harry's statement. He seemed about to interrupt when Harry elaborated, "Cheating implies that we actually have a relationship. Which we don't."

"Why are you still with her?" Draco asked candidly. He felt like he was reaching the parameters of what his brain could tolerate whilst so thoroughly intoxicated.

"Because I'm Harry Potter." Harry answered, sombrely. He struck a miserable figure, hunched over the table, clutching his whiskey glass like a lifeline. He looked older than his years.

Confusion clouded Draco's mind as he processed Harry's response, "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

Harry pushed a shot glass towards Draco and picked up his own. Sensing the coming protest from the blonde, Harry lifted his glass with a loaded look, "You want honesty…" He murmured before swallowing his shot in one mouthful; it irritated Draco that Harry didn't even seem to flinch. The Slytherin pushed his shot glass towards Harry, who obviously needed it more than he did, and the brunette simply picked it up and sank it. Draco noted with triumph how, on this occasion, Harry squeezed his eyes closed.

"I don't do the things I want; I do as I'm told." He murmured, pain lacing his tone. Draco felt his stomach clench at the sound, "I don't think I've ever made a single decision regarding my own life. I fought Voldemort because it was expected, I become an auror because it was expected, I married Ginny because it was expected!" Harry continued, gazing at Draco's face like a drowning man would gaze at a life preserver. His voice dropped to whisper, "If I'm not The Boy Who Lived, the head of the Auror office, or Ginny's husband…who am I? Because I don't know."

Draco met Harry's gaze and held it, offering him a tentative smile. "You're Harry Potter." He breathed as though it explained everything.

Harry's eyes slid closed as he heaved a weary sigh "That's the problem, I'm Harry Potter." Harry's head was in his hands again, his fingers laced through his raven hair, and Draco briefly wondered if that was the reason his hair was always such a mess.

"You need to stop being the Harry Potter everyone wants you to be." Draco said after a stretch of moments. His eyes swam in and out of focus again and he stared intently at the top of Harry's head in an attempt to gather himself.

Harry barked a humourless laugh from within his pity huddle before lifting his head, his eyes locking with Draco's "That's easier said than done, Malfoy," he moaned.

Harry's remark was met by a look of disbelief from the other man, "Is it? I'm Draco Malfoy, former deatheater and muggle hater; I was everything my parents wanted of me." He all but growled at Harry. Shame sparkled in the depths of his stormy grey eyes, however he seemed intent in holding eye contact, "Who am I now? An anonymous primary school teacher who worships his muggle kids and who's happy. No magic, no contact with the wizarding world, andI'm so Happy." Draco smiled, unable to stop himself as he thought about how different his life was from the miserable childhood he'd had to endure.

Harry gazed at the blonde with wide eyed, "I wouldn't even know where to start, Malfoy." He admitted.

Draco's smile, if possible, brightened, "My name is Draco, maybe start there." He laughed lightly before holding his hand out. Harry's eyes flickered from Draco's smile, to his hand, and back to his smile again. He felt his own mouth pull at the edges as the feeling of déjà vu washed over him, before he lifted his own hand and slipped it into Draco's.

"Draco," Harry smiled, gripping the other man's long, pale digits.

"Harry." Draco whispered. He could feel callouses on Harry's palm, and Draco couldn't help but admire the contrast between his alabaster skin and Harry's tan. "You finally shook my hand." Draco added, releasing his hold a beat too late, choosing to brush over the weird handshake from the day prior when he thought he was going to die from fright.

Harry pulled his own hand back, flexing his fingers to dispel the tingle of magical residue left on his skin, and smirked at his remark., "Well, you're less of a douche now, so…" he shrugged, his smirk morphing back into a smile. He picked up the remainder of his whiskey and drained the glass.

Draco's eyebrow slid upwards, "Do you usually drink this much?" He asked impulsively, his gaze fixed on Harry's face, and the brunette answered without thinking.

"Yes, I hate my life, remember." He said, flatly, before shifted uncomfortably, embarrassed by his own candour. He noted the collection of empty glasses on the table, feeling a little ashamed until he realised they weren't just his own, "You've not done too badly, either…"

Draco's eyes dropped to the table and then to his watch, and he willed his eyes to focus on the numbers it read. Dread washed over him as he took in the lateness of the hour knowing it was a school night, "Well, I'm sure to pay for it in the morning which will now definitely be sponsored by paracetamol." He moaned as he contemplated the hangover he was sure to have during morning assembly, before standing and pulling his coat on. The amount of alcohol he'd consumed hit him, causing him to sway on the spot.

Harry felt his stomach clench painfully tight, as though it were about to apparate out of his body, at the prospect of Draco's impending departure and he quickly pulled himself to his feet, stumbling a little in his inebriated state. "Can I have your number?" he asked in a rush, pulling his phone from his pocket and thrusting it at Draco.

Draco's surprise was evident on his face as he watched his former enemy fumble with his mobile phone. A thrill of pleasure shot through Draco's body at the idea of Harry being desperate to stay in contact with him, and he forced himself to stop the images his mind began providing him with. Harry was a married man, after all, worst still a Gryffindor!

"Why?" Draco couldn't help but ask. He accepted Harry's phone but made no move to enter his details until the other man provided some clarity.

Harry looked at Draco for a long moment, and he seemed to all the world as though he were completely lost before he shook his head and stood a little straighter, "Because I'd like to find you again without stalking coffee shops." he answered boldly

Draco felt a warmth begin to grow from within the pit of his stomach and his burning gaze searched Harry's face. He waited a long moment for Harry to laugh but it didn't happen, and the only conclusion Draco could come to was that he was being serious. Breaking eye contact with a small, exhilarated breath, Draco keyed his details into Harry's phone before swiftly calling his own number ensuring he had Harry's number too.

Harry couldn't believe his boldness had paid off and he smiled as he watched the other man. Draco glanced up and caught him, a small, shy smile reflected on his own face. He held the phone out for Harry, and as he reached to take it, Draco didn't let go but gazed into Harry's emerald eyes, "Now you can always find me." He breathed. He released the phone and stepped away, "Bye, Harry."

"See you again soon, Draco." Harry replied breathlessly, and he watched the blonde until he disappeared out the door.

As Harry lay in bed later on that night, he smiled as he gazed at Draco's name and number in his phone and drifted off into the best night sleep he'd had since he'd been at Hogwarts.

To be continued…

A/N – Please review xxx