Chapter 4
A week later, Harry lopped into the Ministry of Magic, a smile lighting up his freshly shaven face. He greeted the wizard who manned the Floo points brightly, exchanging comments about how cold the weather had turned, before making his way through the atrium towards the lifts that would take him to the Auror department.
He wandered through the department towards his office, and grinned when he caught sight of the expression on his secretary's face.
"Mr Potter…?!" Flo spluttered, doing little to hide the surprise in her greeting as Harry strolled in before anyone else. He glanced around at the empty desks and realised he'd never been in the office this early before.
"Good morning, Flo!" Harry greeted warmly, a laugh in his voice, and the elderly woman's eyes widened further as her surprise morphed into downright shock. She seemed to second-guess Harry's reason for being so early when he usually didn't arrive until gone 11am.
"You're here…early, Mr Potter, is there a meeting I don't know about?" Flo asked, her grey eyebrows knitting together as she summoned her diary, a hint of apprehension in her tone.
Harry leaned across the desk Flo sat at and rested a hand on top of the diary, his expression soft when her eyes snapped up to meet his, "There's no meeting, Flo, this is when I'm supposed to be here." He laughed before ducking his head, guiltily.
Flo's own stern face softened a little as she relaxed, and a smile pulled at her thin lips, "Well, yes," she replied, appearing unsure of how to respond to this new, alert Harry. It occurred to him that he couldn't remember the last time he'd had an actual conversation with his own secretary, and he was overcome by shame at how morose he'd become.
"Well, I'm going to get started on the cases on my desk," Harry smiled, pushing away from his secretary's desk and playfully walking backwards to his office, just like he used to when he'd been a fresh-faced Auror, "Could I possibly have a coffee, please?" He asked cheekily, scrunching his nose up as though waiting to be scolded.
Flo rolled her eyes theatrically, playing along, and nodded, winking at him as she did so, "I'll bring it through." She promised
Harry thanked her before turning and entering his office. He moved round his desk and sank into his office chair, before pulling his phone out of his pocket. He flicked through his text conversations with Draco, wearing the same goofy smile he'd worn as he'd walked away from Draco outside his school a week prior.
The texts they had exchanged had come thick and fast after their trip to the church, and they had discussed everything from muggle politics to movies. Harry had discovered Draco was particularly fond of science fiction, especially Doctor Who, something Harry had sniggered about, though that hadn't stopped him from brushing up on Doctor Who knowledge in case Draco wanted to talk about it.
He also found the blonde could become quite passionate about topics he cared about when they had discussed a headline about school funding that had been splashed across the newspapers, and he'd sent huge paragraphs about the injustice teachers faced and how under-paid and over-worked they were.
During their lengthy texting sessions, Harry had been absolutely sure not to mention or reference magic in any way as to not make Draco uncomfortable, and he found himself being less wizard Harry and more muggle Harry as a result.
This seemed to spread out into his everyday life, though, he reasoned, he'd always been typically muggle anyway. He'd always done chores the muggle way, something Ginny had found ridiculous and time consuming, but he enjoyed doing tasks like cooking and cleaning by hand as it gave him a sense of purpose and control in a life that had always seemed so out of control. He shaved the muggle way and laundered his clothes and robes himself, something he'd been doing every day since bumping into Draco, and he was drinking less, which in turn meant he was sleeping better and waking feeling human rather than half dead.
"One coffee, Mr Potter, can I get you anything else?" Flo asked, breaking Harry's reverie, and depositing a steaming mug on the desk. Harry looked up from his phone to his secretary with a smile and shook his head.
"No, thank you." He replied, his eyes falling on a stack of paperwork, "Maybe come and check I haven't been crushed by case files in an hour or so." He laughed.
Harry worked through cases, distributing them to specific aurors to investigate and closing files that were completed. He frowned when he crossed one with a familiar name and his interest piqued.
Gregory Goyle – status: Wanted.
As Harry read through, he found that Goyle had served his sentence in Azkaban from crimes committed during the war and had disappeared since his release 8 years prior. He was thought to be moving in and out of the wizarding world, evading the Ministry and preventing them from keeping track of his movements.
Harry rested his head against his chair and looked up at the ceiling, and his mind conjured Draco's face. He wondered how the blonde would react to news that his childhood friend was being investigated by Harry, because Harry would be investigating this case personally.
Draco's face frowned from within Harry's mind's eye, and he decided that he wouldn't mention Goyle to the blonde, especially after he'd promised he wouldn't speak of their world again.
Harry began pulling apart the case file, reading through sightings and witness statements and began drawing up an investigation operation.
The following Saturday morning, Draco woke to a message from Harry that was basically just a list of food, and he wondered if the brunette had accidently sent him his own shopping list. He began constructing a reply when a second message came through,
'Buy everything on this list, I have a recipe for you to try later'
Draco smiled, his stomach bubbling with excitement. He had mentioned to Harry a few days prior that he enjoyed cooking meals from scratch, and the brunette had preceded to send him a barrage of recipes. This was the first time he'd given a list of ingredients instead of the recipe, so Draco was intrigued.
He'd spent a majority of the afternoon marking and drawing up lesson plans for the following week, before he decided to brave the wind and rain, and make his way to the supermarket to buy the ingredients Harry had insisted he'd need for the evening's meal.
He dashed to the tube, holding his hood securely around his head as the biting wind fought to reach his exposed skin, and he squinted as the rain blew into his eyes. It was miserable and cold; however, Draco had the prospect of being in the supermarket spurring him forward.
Draco loved muggle shops, especially the massive ones that sold everything a human could possibly need, and he looked forward to his weekly trips to stock up his supplies.
He particularly enjoyed the cleaning product alley, with its hundreds of different flavoured cleaning liquids. He'd discovered 'bleach' liquid a few weeks into his life in student accommodation, when one of his fellow academics had found him trying to clean the bathroom with plain water. The girl, whose name, he was ashamed to realise, he'd forgotten, had assumed he was a rich boy who was used to a cleaning lady and had never had to do anything for himself, and had explained that different products did different things. He concurred that her assessment of him wasn't too far off the mark, if you replaced the cleaning lady with a house-elf, however they tended to use scorgify spells to clean as opposed to liquids and soaps.
He'd fallen in love with the scents of each product and the way the chemicals burned at the back of his throat and made his eyes stream that made his home feel truly clean.
Cleanliness had been important to Draco since before he'd started at Hogwarts. His life had been out of his control in every aspect for so long, that when he'd found he could clean something and get a sense of accomplishment from it that no one, not even his father, could diminish, he'd thrown himself at any task that presented itself. His dorm mates thought he was crazy and could never understand why he'd spend 45 minutes making his own bed when a house-elf could do it in seconds, but they didn't understand that Draco needed to do it, and do it perfectly.
The discovery of bleach and disinfectant had made Draco's need for perfection an obsession, to the point that he used them so often he'd ended up with chemical burns on his hands. However, the obsession was centred around his home, exclusively; he didn't have the same need for perfection in his classroom, for example, however, as his life stabilised, the need to clean to such an extreme extent had settled, and his hands were once again burn free.
Draco spent his usual 20 or so minutes in the cleaning aisle before hurrying around the rest of the store, picking up the items on his list, before using the self-service checkout. He liked the self-service checkout; he found it fascinating that a computer dealt with his transaction, and it made him feel wonderfully 'muggle' when using them.
He hurried home, however, by the time he reached his front door he felt as though he could have swum the journey for how wet and cold he was. He showered and shrugged on his favourite sweats, allowing his pale hair to dry naturally before wandering into his sterile kitchen where he had set the ingredients to the mystery recipe on his kitchen counter, and he sent Harry a text saying he was ready for instructions. He wondered what recipe Harry was planning on sending over when a shrill sound emanated from his iPad. Draco spun around, dread filling him as he realised the tone signalled a facetime call and his stomach dropped out when he read Harry's name.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" He swore, putting his face in his hands and cringing as his fingers felt the ends of his hair frizzing as it dried. "Shit!" he swore again.
The ringing stopped and started again instantly, and Draco growled before taking a deep breath and tapping the answer button, being sure to have the camera pointing at the cabinets behind him. Harry's impatient face burst across the screen which shifted quickly to a beaming smile which fell slightly as he took in the cabinets.
"Hello, Mr Malfoy? Where are you, it's time for cookery class!" Harry laughed, his eyes narrowing in confusion when Draco failed to appear.
"I didn't realise you'd be video calling." Draco said in a small voice, "I was just expecting a recipe." He added, aware of how accusing his tone was.
Harry bit his lip anxiously and his hand reached up behind his neck, "Er…yeah…sorry I…" he muttered, the confidence he'd had when he answered apparently disappearing, "I thought it'd be fun to cook together. It's too much?" he guessed, his cheeks reddening.
Draco felt guilt grow in his chest, and he looked up at the ceiling, blowing out an irritated breath. Why did he have to do this when his hair was so terrible?!
"I'll go." Harry continued quickly, obviously hearing Draco's irritated breath, "I'll just send over the recipe."
"Wait!" Draco growled. He steeled himself, repeating in his head that Harry had seen in him in worst states in the past, shuddering when he remembered the ferret incident in fourth year, before he stepped in front of the camera, glaring at Harry's face, "Don't laugh." He growled, his arms crossed over his chest, sullenly.
Harry's eyes widened comically as he took in Draco's appearance, and Draco pushed down the anxiety and embarrassment that was bubbling away under the surface. He bit the inside of his lip to stop the harsh words that he knew he'd spit if Harry continued to gawp like an idiot.
Draco breathed another irritated breath through his nose, "So, I'll call you back, yeah? He prompted, shifting uncomfortably.
Harry's nostrils flared and he cleared his throat tersely, "No!" he yelped, shaking his head, "No! Don't. Stay!"
Draco's eye narrowed as he tried to read Harry's reaction, and it took every ounce of strength he had not to touch his hair in case it drew Harry's attention to it. He knew how bad it looked, it was staring back at him from the small screen in the top right hand corner of Harry's face, and he cursed the extra conditioner he'd used that was sending his white blonde stands to fly-away in every direction.
"I'll literally call you back in a few minutes," Draco explained, wondering if Harry thought he was trying to blow him off, when the brunette began shaking his head again. Draco decided to be honest, "Let me just…sort my hair out…." He finished in an embarrassed whisper, his face warming.
Harry's eyes, if possible, widened even more, his glasses sliding down his nose as a result. He spluttered a little, and maybe read the expression on Draco's face, as he cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his nose and reaching round to scratch at the back of his neck, "You look good." He swallowed.
Draco snorted in disbelief, his eyes rolling dramatically, "Don't mock me, Potter!" he warned, and he lost the battle with himself, letting his hand run over his hair in an attempt to smooth it down. It didn't work.
Harry shook his head enthusiastically again, "I'm really not! You…" Harry blinked several times as though he was trying to work out what to say that wouldn't annoy the blonde, "hang on" he said.
Harry, who appeared to have made a bit of an effort to brush his own hair and looked quite smart in a crisp white polo shirt, disappeared from view. Draco closed his eyes, cringing at how awful the call was going. He took the time Harry was gone to smooth out his hoodie and do his best to tame his wild locks. The thought occurred to him to wet his hair down and as he was about to turn towards the sink, Harry appeared again.
The brunette was smiling hopefully, and Draco was unable to stop the laughter that erupted from within him as he took in Harry's appearance. The other man had changed into a ratty burgundy t-shirt that Draco identified as a Gryffindor quidditch training top which Harry had tried to cover with an oversized holey jumper. He'd obviously shook his hands through his hair in an attempt to make it as unruly as Draco's, however it didn't look much different than usual.
"I like your effort at 'crazy hair' but it's never going to be on par with my birds' nest," Harry laughed, his arms crossed over his chest and a judgemental expression on his face. His twinkling eyes gave him away though, "Your outfit is more gym casual, whereas mine is more hobo-chic, so I win there, too. Nice try though." He laughed.
Draco's stomach bubbled with an emotion he couldn't quite place. He felt a rush of warmth and joy surge through his body at Harry's attempt to make him feel more comfortable, and he could feel his hands begin to tingle as his magic escaped his control. A kitchen drawer to his left flew open and cutlery spewed over the floor with a clatter, causing Harry to jump in surprise. Draco glanced at the knives and forks on the tiled floor and back to Harry who frowned in confusion.
"Sorry, that was me," Draco muttered before he ducked down, collecting the utensils and dumping them in the sink. When he reappeared, Harry smiled warmly.
"Can we cook now?" Harry asked softly.
Draco looked up to the ceiling as though he could gain strength from it, before he glanced back at Harry with a resigned expression on his face. "This better be a decent dish, Potter! Right, where are we starting?" he asked, a reluctant smile pulling at his lips.
The two men followed Harry's instructions together, each waiting for the other when they finished a task first. Draco was reminded of potions class when he'd work a few stations away from Harry and would casually watch the brunette when no one was looking. He was still clumsy and heavy handed, and had burned himself twice, something Draco had bitten his lip at in order to stop from laughing, but he'd kept going, his results the same as Draco's at the end of each step.
They laughed together as they chatted, Draco informing Harry of some of the wilder stories from his time teaching, and he shared some of his concerns about the boy Harry had met a few weeks prior.
The brunette listened closely, taking in as much information as Draco would share, and smiling as each new little piece to the puzzle surrounding the blonde would slot into place.
Half way through searing the duck, Draco became overwhelmed by the heat emanating from his stove, and without even pausing in the tale he was regaling Harry with, he shucked off his hoodie, folded it carefully and placed it onto a stool against the breakfast bar.
He missed the way Harry's eyes lingered on him as he removed his jacket, and how they danced over the Slytherin coat of arms on his forest green t-shirt. A small smile pulled at Harry's lips as he realised Draco hadn't completely forgotten where he'd come from.
Draco glanced up and noticed Harry watching him, and one of his eyebrows slid upwards in question.
"I'm ignoring the t-shirt." Harry said quickly, noticing that a burning smell was coming from his own duck and hurrying to flip it over.
"I've been ignoring yours." Draco replied lightly, his tone playful. Harry looked up and found Draco smirking back.
"I'm wearing a jumper; how do you even know what t-shirt I'm wearing?" Harry asked, taken aback by the blonde's accuracy. Draco laughed, shaking his head at the other man's ignorance as he prodded at different pots of ingredients.
"I watched you train in that shirt for almost 6 years, Harry, I'd notice it a mile away." Draco admitted, his tone turning sombre. He didn't look at the brunette, knowing that his expression would be louder than his silence as he processed Draco's remark.
"Right. Add 2 cloves of garlic and a sprig of rosemary to the duck…" Harry informed, choosing to pass over the fact Draco had just told him he'd pretty much stalked his quidditch practices.
Draco followed the instruction with a nod, still refusing to meet Harry's eye, and he wondered what was going through the brunette's mind and if this was the way he'd expected this odd cooking session would turn. Draco decided to test the waters and put Harry on the spot.
"So, as we've cooked together," Draco inquired, his eyes firmly on the sauce he was whisking, "are we eating together?" he asked, using the same playful tone as before. His stomach bubbled again as he waited for Harry to answer. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a meal with someone, and he was excited at the prospect of sharing one with Harry, even if it was over facetime.
Harry's eyes snapped up from his own pot of sauce to Draco's face, excitement sparkling in his emerald depths, "Would you like that?" he asked, his voice breaking midway through his question.
The bubbling in Draco's stomach erupted again and he realised what it was. It was desire. He very much wanted to have dinner with Harry, and not just through a screen. He wanted to sit facing him, to have their knees knocking against one another under the table. He wanted the awkward silences and accidental touches. He wanted a real date. He wanted a real date with Harry Potter.
He cleared his throat to answer, excitement building within him causing a surge of magic to start the microwave rotating on its own, which he ignored as he glanced up and made eye contact with Harry's blazing orbs.
He opened his mouth to answer when a slam emanated from Harry's end of the call. Draco frowned as the brunette's head whipped around, and the excitement he'd felt moments before was extinguished instantly by the sound of Ginny Weasley's morose voice.
Harry's head whipped back round, a stricken expression on his face, "It's Ginny." He mouthed, apparently at a complete loss as to what to do.
It was like Harry had just snipped at the string that was holding up Draco's walls, and they crashed down so hard it took his breath away. Swallowing down the vitriol that threatened to spew from his mouth towards the red-headed woman for interrupting whatever it was this was, Draco laughed humourlessly, shook his head and shrugged. Harry's head whipped around again as the sound of Ginny's voice came closer, before he turned just as quickly, mouthed the word 'sorry' and ended the call.
Draco stood for a few moments staring at the screen which now simply held an official picture of him with his university degree, and he struggled to control his emotions. He was moving quickly through fury, disgust, shame, and misery, and he gripped the edge of the counter to stop his magic from bursting out around him. What the hell was he doing? Harry was married! He was married, and Draco was having ridiculous fantasies of them dating.
The sauce he'd all but forgotten began to burn, smoke spiralling up and threatening to set the fire alarm off. Draco picked up the pot and dumped it in the sink, running the cold water tap over the top to extinguish the smoke.
The sauce was ruined along with his appetite, and Draco simply switched the stove off, before spending a few hours scrubbing away any trace that the evenings events had ever taken place.
Draco spent the following day ignoring Harry's texts. He felt stupid and embarrassed that he'd allowed himself to be so vulnerable in front of the other man, that he'd allowed him to see past the walls he'd erected around himself, only to then make him feel worthless.
Draco's mood was stormy to say the least and it was no better on Monday when he got to work. He entered his classroom and set himself up for the day, fetching a fresh coffee and prepared himself to plaster the false smile he'd have to wear for his pupils.
Whilst pouring his coffee into his travel mug, Draco felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he heaved a frustrated sigh, knowing the likelihood that it would be a message from Harry.
Pulling his phone out, Draco scowled when he read Harry's name, ignoring how his stomach, which obviously hadn't gotten the memo that he was mad at the brunette, jumped excitedly. He opened the message, expecting to see more grovelling apology, and was surprised by what he read.
'You can't ignore me forever, Draco.'
The message contained a few different emojis to show that Harry was trying to be cheeky and cute. Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head at the brunette's Gryffindor confidence, and typed out a rebuff before he changed his mind, realising that that was exactly the response Harry wanted.
Pocketing his phone and snagging his coffee, Draco made his way to his classroom, ready to begin what was sure to be a very long Monday!
Harry sat at his desk in the Ministry, chewing on his fingernails. Since the disastrous end to his and Draco's cookery date (in his head it was a date!), the blonde had been ignoring his texts and facetime requests. He'd messed up, he was more than aware of this, and he desperately wanted to make things right with the other man. He realised he should have made sure to organise the video call when Ginny had no chance of walking in and ruining it, but he'd been so desperate to move them on from simply texting, that he'd taken a risk – and it had backfired.
He'd spent most of the Sunday that followed apologising to Draco only to be ignored by the other man, and had become overwhelmed with fear that he had well and truly blown it with the blonde.
He threw out the comment that Draco couldn't ignore him forever before he'd crossed over into Ministry, purely because he could pretend that Draco may have replied but he wouldn't know about it until he left the Ministry and it's signal zapping atmosphere.
Whilst sitting at his desk, Harry concocted a plan to get Draco to speak to him again, and he smiled as he realised what he had to do.
Draco allowed himself to become wrapped up in his lesson plan and distracted himself from thoughts of Harry by constantly interacting with his students and not letting himself have time to think.
When the bell rang signalling the end of the school day, Draco released his pupils and got his things together ready to go home. He had promised himself a large bottle of wine and the biggest bar of chocolate he could find for an evening watching rubbish television as a reward for making it through the day. His hopes at a quick get away were dashed.
"Hello, Mr Malfoy," Came a voice from the doorway, and Draco, whose back was to the door, rolled his eye before forcing a smile to his face.
"Hi, Jo," he replied, turning and nodding politely. He really couldn't be bothered with fighting off his colleagues flirting whilst in the mood he was in but was far too much of a gentleman to ask her to leave.
"Nice weekend?" She asked, smiling widely and flashing slightly crooked, and obviously whitened, teeth. Her red lipstick had smudged slightly on one of her top teeth, and Draco tried not to wrinkle his nose.
"Pretty quiet, nothing to report," he shrugged. There was no way he'd tell her either way.
Another voice sounded from behind Jo, and Draco was grateful to be interrupted by the school's receptionist, "Mr Malfoy, you have a visitor." She explained before stepping aside to reveal Harry, standing there with a guilty smile.
"Hi," he greeted, and Draco detected uncertainty in the brunette's tone.
Jo, who stared at Harry with greedy eyes, held her hand out, "Hello, I'm Jo." She said in a heavy, breathy voice. The urge to wrinkle his nose became even more prominent for Draco and he used Harry's distraction as he shook Jo's hand, to gather his thoughts.
On the one hand, he couldn't understand what the hell Harry was doing standing in his classroom, especially after he'd been blanking him so completely. On the other hand, Harry looked good! He appeared to be worlds apart from the other times Draco had seen him in the flesh, and he couldn't help the thrill of desire that rushed through him as he took in the other man.
Harry was clean shaven, and though his hair was still all over the place, it looked intentional and stylish. He wore slim fit trousers that seemed to hug all the right places, along with a jacket that held gold stitching and detailing around the collar and sleeves, and gold buttons lined the front in 3 rows. To Jo, Harry probably looked as though he belonged to some faction of the military, however, Draco immediately recognised the Auror uniform.
"Harry." Draco murmured, doing his best to control the emotions he was feeling. He was both annoyed that the brunette had just shown up at his place of work when he knew Draco didn't want to speak to him, and absolutely stunned by how beautiful the other man looked, "What are you doing here?" he asked, clearing his throat.
Harry glanced at the woman beside him and then back to Draco, unsure how much he could say in front of Draco's colleague, "I just wanted to come and say hi." he smiled, guilt evident in his expression.
Draco saw the moment the penny dropped for Jo as her eyes switched between the two men, and her mouth fell open in surprise, "Oh!" she moaned, a blush creeping up from her collar. Draco recalled the times she'd tried to flirt with him and the multiple attempts at asking him out, and he instantly felt shame for the embarrassment she was obviously experiencing.
"Jo, this is Harry, he's a f…friend." He stammered, trying to soften the humiliation he could see washing over his colleague.
"Well it was lovely to meet you, Harry. I better get going, see you later." She mumbled, grimacing at Harry before she turned and walked out of the room.
Harry gazed at Draco, his eyes narrowed in confusion, "What was that about?" he asked, glancing back towards the empty doorway.
Draco followed his gaze, guilt settling in his stomach, "Jo has been…interested in me for a while…" he said, uncomfortably. "I think she's just realised why I keep saying no…" he added without meeting Harry's eyes.
Harry felt his eyebrows rise and tired to control the excitement he felt at the implication to Draco's words. He turned to face Draco who had gone to look busy at his desk and remembered why he was there. He slid his hands into his pockets, his shoulders slouching, "You've been ignoring me," he murmured softly.
"Yes." Draco said simply, dropping any pretences, "I've been ignoring you, Potter, maybe you should take the hint." He drawled, careful not to look at the other man. He swallowed the sadness that crept up his throat and continued to mess up the paperwork on his desk that he had organised 30 minutes beforehand.
He heard Harry shift, and he clenched his hands as he felt his magic react to the emotions he was forcing down, "I can feel that you don't mean that, Draco." Harry murmured, referring to the magic he could feel seeping out around the blonde; his voice closer than it had been before.
Harry reached out to touch Draco's arm, as though he was trying to coax him to turn around, and he swore as he hastily withdrew his hand. Draco spun around, his eyes wide, and his surprise caused the magic that had seeped out to form a kind of protective barrier which pushed Harry backwards.
Harry's instincts kicked in as he felt the press of magic hit him, and he produced his wand from a hidden sheath in his trousers, "Finite!" he gasped as he fought to stay on his feet. The magic instantly dissipated, and the two men stared at each other in shock for a moment.
Draco was the first to recover, humiliation settling over his shoulders like a cloak. He glared at Harry's wand, "Put that away!" he scolded, his eyes flickering over Harry's shoulder to the open door.
"I'm sorry." Harry said remorsefully, "Auror's instinct." He added as explanation, pocketing his wand.
Draco bristled, turning around to face the brunette, his grey eyes stormy, "Funny how your aurors' instinct isn't telling you not to piss off a Malfoy!" He drawled, his chin jutting out like it did in his youth.
Harry tried not to smile as his mind was thrown back to Hogwarts, "Well, I spent our entire school career pissing you off simply so I had an excuse to speak to you, so I'm happy to take the risk." He admitted.
A reluctant smile sprang to Draco's face and he rolled his eyes as Harry broke through his irritation. He felt butterflies erupt in his stomach as he considered Harry's admission, before he remembered the reason he was avoiding Harry in the first place, "How's the wife?" he asked, straining to keep the bitterness he felt out of his tone.
Harry dropped his gaze, his hand reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. He countered Draco's question with one of his own, "So, do outbursts like that a moment ago happen a lot?"
Draco looked away, mortified. He went back to sorting through the papers on his desk, actually tidying them this time, and shook his head, "Only when idiot aurors won't leave me alone." He retorted, "And I asked first, How's your wife?"
Harry leaned against one of the desks that filled the classroom, and crossed his arms over his chest defensively, "I'm sorry about Saturday, I panicked." He admitted.
Draco's lip curled and he turned around to face Harry again, "You panicked? Scared the Weasley will tell everyone you've been associating with a Malfoy? Is it a hangable offence now?" he asked waspishly.
Harry smiled humourlessly, letting Draco release some of the resentment he held for the wizarding world, "No. I didn't panic for me, I panicked for you." He declared, gazing pointedly at the blonde, "I figured the last person you'd want knowing your whereabouts, whilst using muggle technology I might add, was Ginny Po…Weasley."
Harry tried to cover his slip, but Draco noticed it. As much as he appreciated Harry's intentions, he couldn't help but focus on the reality, "Harry…"
Harry pushed himself away from the table and walked towards Draco, dread dripping into his bloodstream like poison. He wasn't about to let Draco push him away, not now he was finally getting his chance with the blonde. He approached the other man, noticing the shaky breath Draco sucked in, and didn't stop until he was so close the toes of their shoes touched.
Draco's eyes shifted from stormy grey to molten silver and Harry felt spurred on by the blonde's lack of protest at his closeness. He gently gripped the top of Draco's arms, and waiting for his heartbeat to slow before he put himself out there, once and for all, "I like you, Draco, I always have." He confessed, dropping his forehead against the other man's.
Draco stopped breathing as fire danced across his skin where it connected with Harry's. His mind was blank, all he could focus on was Harry and the ball of nerves unravelling in his chest. His eyes slid closed and he allowed himself to breathe in, letting Harry's spicy scent envelope him, and he fought the urge to close the distance between them.
"I just need some time, time to put things right." Harry pleaded, his own eyes falling closed. Though he desperately wanted to lean forward and press his lips against Draco's, Harry ignored it. With a despondent sigh, he pulled back, something in his expression making it clear to the blonde just how difficult it was for him, and he took a few steps back until he could no longer feel Draco's tingling magical signature.
Draco's mind become clearer the further Harry moved away, and his heartrate slowed as a result. He considered the brunette's request, and though part of him knew he was probably setting himself up for a fall, a larger part wanted to give Harry the benefit of the doubt. He decided to settle somewhere in the middle.
"I'm not guaranteeing anything, Harry," he declared sombrely, his expression closed, "But I'll consider it," he added softly.
A watery smile pulled at Harry's lips and he nodded, thankful that the other man hadn't severed ties, and he decided now was probably the right time to leave, before Draco changed his mind.
"Are you going to start replying again now?" he asked, allowing his tone to turn playful again. Draco rolled his eyes, his mouth twitching despite himself.
"If I say yes, will you go away and let me go home?" Draco replied, one of his eyebrows sliding up.
"Yes!" Harry smiled brightly, gesticulating with his hands, causing Draco to finally laugh.
"Right, yes then!" Draco announced, pointing at the door, "Now, go, catch some parasites!" he added, shaking his head in jest. Harry forced himself not to react to Draco's reference to his job, thankful that the auror uniform and wand incident hadn't scared him off.
Smiling, Harry gave Draco a mock salute, "Speak to you tonight," he promised, before turning and walking out the classroom.
Draco perched against his desk, smiling to himself as he waited for his nerves and heartrate to slow down. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he snickered, knowing it would be Harry. Fishing the device from his blazer, Draco opened the message, and the smile turned to a full-blown grin.
'The next time we're that close, I'm kissing you!'
To be continued…