"OK, I'm here," Draco sighed as he joined Harry on the park bench.
Harry was glad to see Draco had worn old, comfortable clothes, like he had asked. He still looked great, and Harry had a hard time resisting giving him a hello kiss. Or two.
Smirking as he got up, Harry motioned for Draco to do so as well. The blond rolled his eyes, obviously questioning why the hell he had shown up for this first date.
Grabbing Draco's wrist firmly, Harry apparated them to a green field, that looked pretty empty.
Draco gave him a questioning look. "This is it?"
"It's where the Chudley Cannons practice," Harry said, anticipation starting to grow inside him as he looked around, and then spotted a small pile of equipment. He dropped Draco's wrist and jogged over to inspect it. It had taken a few letters to get this favor from the team's owner, who he'd met at various charity events over the years.
Draco was soon at his side, looking down at the small box Harry was holding, and the equipment lying on the grass.
Harry could tell he had figured it out. "They are both old Nimbuses, just like we used at Hogwarts. Pick the one you want."
He was sure he saw a bit of a smile beginning as Draco leaned over to get a closer look at the brooms. Harry removed the snitch from the box, holding the golden ball in his loosely cupped hand.
Draco was mounting the broom he picked, and Harry got on the other one. A minute later, they were in the air, swooping around the field to test out their Nimbuses. Harry was pleased that it felt like his old one, fast and responsive. But not quite as good as his Firebolt.
"Ready?" Harry called out, and Draco turned to face him, about halfway down the field.
Even from that distance, Harry could tell by Draco's posture that he ready to give the small ball good chase. "Ready to see you lose, Potter."
His taunt brought Harry right back to their Hogwarts days, the familiar desire to one up Draco becoming his only focus. He released the snitch, and the small golden ball zipped straight upwards. He lost sight of it when it crossed in front of the sun, and Harry had to divert his eyes.
They went to Draco instead, who was flying higher with large circles around the field. He had obviously lost sight of the small fast ball as well, and was searching for it.
Harry started a similar pattern, and it reminded him so strongly of doing this during all those practices and matches. He could almost hear Oliver Wood shouting instructions to George and Fred, or hear the dull roar from the spectators.
Lost in nostalgia for a moment, Harry almost missed the second when Draco's broom changed direction sharply and he zoomed downwards across the field. Out of pure instinct, Harry followed his trajectory, his eyes searching madly for what Draco was aiming for, his heart thumping with pure adrenaline. He couldn't let Draco win.
Although Draco had started for the ball sooner, Harry was closer, and they were soon side by side, racing after the zipping streak of gold. It veered different directions without warning, and Harry cheered to himself when the ball dipped and he followed the motion faster than Draco did, pulling ahead of him. That much closer to catching it.
His satisfaction was short-lived, as the snitch zipped to the left, and Draco was now closer to it. Harry was perhaps a bit better at flying, and he was able to catch up, again flying at Draco's side.
A few minutes later, the ball went upwards, and Draco reacted faster. He slowed down, almost hovering in the air, and slowly opened his hand.
Harry had slowed as well, flying closer to Draco, and saw the look of pure pleasure on his face as he looked down at the golden ball. His silver blue eyes met Harry's, and he could only smile back in return. Giving credit where it was due. Draco had won, fair and square.
He couldn't help but notice how good Draco looked, his eyes crinkling up as he smiled back, his windswept hair, his face flushed with exertion. The old, faded jeans he was wearing clung to his thighs. Harry felt a surge of pure desire, but looked away before Draco could see it. It would be far too easy to fall into their old patterns.
"Best two out of three," Draco called out, and Harry glanced back to see him releasing the snitch.
...
"Ok, I'm buying. What do you want?" Harry said when they entered the pub.
Draco smiled broadly, something he had been doing often all afternoon, sending Harry's stomach into somersaults. "Well, in that case, do they have any twenty year old firewhiskey?"
Rolling his eyes, Harry looked pointedly around the casual, rundown pub. "Yes, I'm sure there's a high demand for it 'round here. Go sit down," he said, heading towards the bar.
"Can I get a sarsaparilla and a glass of your cheapest firewhiskey?" Harry requested, after making sure Draco was seated far away.
The blond barmaid didn't look impressed at the order, but passed him the drinks.
Harry had to keep his face neutral as he set the whiskey in front of Draco. "They had some ten year old Ogden."
"That will do fine," Draco said smugly, and took a sip, clearly savoring the liquor.
Harry sipped his soft drink, hiding his laugh.
Draco seemed to sense something was off, and looked at Harry with narrowed eyes. "Why are you drinking sarsaparilla? Aren't you an adult yet?"
"If I'm underage, what does that make you? We shared a bed often enough these last few months," Harry teased. "I'm just trying to drink alcohol less often."
Draco didn't seem impressed, tilting his chin up slightly as he looked at Harry assessingly. "Is this all part of the 'new' Harry? Is that why we are on this disgustingly wholesome date? What will we do next time? Play Bingo at a muggle church with octogenarians?"
"Afraid we won't get along without some libations? Something to smooth over the rough edges?" Harry teased back. Draco, being snarky and snobby, just did it for him. Maybe because he was one of the few people who wasn't that impressed with Harry's past.
Draco looked down at his glass, not responding with another sharp comment. When he did finally meet Harry's eyes, there was a hint of vulnerability there. "Maybe."
Harry felt that like a kick to his stomach. Suddenly, he knew why Draco had been so persistent, why he had come to the house so much. He liked Harry, and wasn't that confident in the feelings being returned. In the relationship lasting.
Harry thought about their attempts to talk at the gala. Draco trying to solve things with sex, and thinking everything was over when Harry said he couldn't go back to how it was before.
"I think we are doing good so far, Draco. I had fun today," Harry said softly.
Draco smiled slowly, and his old cockiness returned. "Well, I beat you to the snitch twice, so I had a great time as well. Too bad we didn't play against each other more at school."
Memories of all the things that had kept him from playing quidditch in his later years flashed through his mind. Draco had been caught up in it all too. The Chamber of Secrets, the Tri-wizard Tournament, Draco trying to kill Dumbledore in 6th year... And Harry not even being at Hogwarts for the last year. Harry hunting Horcruxes and Draco often at the Manor with Voldemort and all the Deatheaters.
"It was beyond our control," Harry finally said, and Draco nodded, knowing that he meant far more than just quidditch. "We worked with what we had."
Draco shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like without...without..."
Harry nodded, understanding. He wondered that too. If Voldemort hadn't come back, would they had played quidditch against each other until leaving Hogwarts? Would either of them gone on to playing professionally? Would their rivalry have ever mellowed as they matured? Could they have ever become friends, or maybe more?
Images of sneaking kisses from Draco in shady corners of that huge school popped into Harry's mind. Of holding hands under a desk during class, or pressing legs against each other, trying to act normal while Snape droned on and on. Of hands slipping underneath school robes to touch and explore while making out, pressed up against a tree.
Draco could tell the way Harry's thoughts were going, and shifted closer, his leg pressing against his under the table. He felt warm, and Harry closed his eyes against the idea of apparating to Draco's right now. Stripping each other quickly and crawling on to the bed, like they had so often in the past.
Grabbing his drink, he gulped it down, suddenly parched and needing to cool off. "Um, well, this first date was been great. I'll owl you with plans for the second one. Bye, Draco."
He jumped up and practically ran to the fireplace, grabbing some floo powder and throwing it into the flames. He was home in an instant, breathing hard.
It was going to be hard to resist Draco, but if it gave them a chance at something long term, it was worth the frustration.
...
"Now cut up the sopohorus bean," the potions master intoned from the head of the room.
When Draco took his knife and tried to cut the large bean, Harry put his hand over Draco's to stop him. A bolt of pure awareness shot up Harry's arm, and he had a hard time not squeezing Draco's hand. Instead, he drew the knife away and laid the side of it flat against the bean to crush it.
"It's easier this way," Harry said softly, and then added a couple drops of it's juice to their cauldron.
Draco glared at him. "I consistently got better marks in Potions than you, and you are telling me how to do things?"
His tone took Harry right back to their school days, and he could only grin in response. "How much of those high marks were because Snape marked you easier? I did great in Slughorn's class."
"Gentlemen, it's time to add the essence of milkweed," their instructor said to them softly as she walked around the classroom, checking on all the students.
Draco snatched up the bottle, and added three drops to their concoction. "I can't believe you signed us up for this."
Harry just gave a little shrug, and worked on chopping up the next ingredient. He was finding this quite similar to muggle cooking, preparing the ingredients and following the instructions from a book. His cooking skills had improved a lot in the last year.
The adult education class had ten participants, all working in pairs. The training center had classrooms with other courses, like 'Uncanny Cooking', 'Apparate with Ease' and 'Get the Most out of Your Wand'. All sorts of topics for adults to brush up their skills on in their off hours.
"I always wondered what it would be like being your partner in potions class," Harry said, stirring the potion and giving Draco a satisfied nod. "I think it's done."
Rolling his eyes, Draco poured the clear dark purple fluid into two small glasses. They watched as the potion lightened to a blue color as it cooled. Draco glanced at the instructor, whose was holding up her glass. "I don't think ours looks right. Her's has more of a green tinge."
"It's just a Cheer-Up potion," Harry said with a shrug. "I'm sure it will be fine."
He picked up one of the glasses, and gave Draco a steady look until he picked up the other one. Now, it was like a game of chicken, seeing if either of them would lose their nerve.
But they didn't, and they both took the shot. The flavor was slightly sweet, with a herbal undertone, but not that unpleasant.
Around the classroom, everyone was setting down their glasses, and big, relaxed smiles spreading over their faces. Grinning happily at their partners, the instructor, and the other people in the class like they didn't have a care in the world.
The whole thing was so ridiculous Harry burst out laughing. Loud laughs that had everyone's heads turning his way. He covered his mouth with one hand, and gave them a dismissive wave as he tried to quiet down. But found that he couldn't.
Draco started laughing at him then, his eyes crinkling up as he watched Harry. He was just as loud as Harry was, and soon his hand was covering his own mouth. "What did you do?" he chuckled, grabbing the sheet of instructions and looking over it.
Draco's question made Harry laugh even harder. "Me?" Harry wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "You added half the ingredients. Maybe you measured wrong."
It was like Harry had told a great joke, sending Draco laughing so hard he bent over slightly to clutch his stomach.
The instructor drifted to them, still looking serene from her properly prepared happiness potion. "Gentlemen, I think you added too much Rue. I've seen this before."
"How long do the effects last?" Harry gasped, chuckling between every word.
She shook her head, trying to look concerned, but still somehow cheerful. "2-3 hours usually."
Draco seemed to find this hilarious for some reason. "Hours?" he sputtered, wiping tears away from his cheeks.
Rolling his eyes, Harry grabbed their coats and tugged Draco out of the classroom, keeping on until they were standing outside. People walking by were staring at them, two men laughing so hard and so long.
There was a small part of Harry's brain that didn't find this funny. It wasn't how he had wanted this date would go. He had pictured them being in a great mood after the class, and going to a pub for a drink. Talking openly all night.
Instead, they were laughing like they were insane and getting some strange looks. How long before they were recognized and this got into the newspaper?
Grabbing Draco's hand, Harry apparated them to muggle London, to the quiet alley near Paddington Station. At least here they weren't well known.
"Muggles!" Draco said, his face screwing up as he let out a guffaw. The sound reminded Harry of the bray of a donkey, and he laughed hard at the idea.
Shaking his head as he tried to collect himself, Harry led them out on to the street and thought about where they could go for a couple hours until the potion wore off. Pubs and shops wouldn't work. He chuckled as he thought of security kicking them out for being too loud.
Draco was chuckling at muggles, mostly amused by their clothing. American tourists seemed to trigger him the most, getting him some offended looks. If they weren't careful, their laughing was going to get them into a fight.
Harry kept dragging Draco along, chuckling himself as possibilities occurred to him, everything just seeming ridiculous.
"Oi! I've heard that's a good muggle movie," Draco waved a hand at the front of a cinema they were passing.
Stopping dead in their tracks, Harry looked at the poster. 'An Instant Cult Classic, This is the Smartest, Funniest British Comedy for Ages!' was in bold writing across the top. They were in front of the theatre he had gone to with Brandon, and it appeared to be showing old comedy favorites.
Chuckling, he pulled Draco inside. "Two for 'Shaun of the Dead' please."
...
Two hours later, they left the theatre. They were both quiet and feeling rather drained.
"Want to get something to eat?" Harry offered, giving Draco an uncomfortable look.
Draco shook his head. "Nah. I think I need to go to bed. I'm bushed."
Harry led them to a secluded spot to apparate back. "I'm sorry for how this date went."
Draco gave a small smirk. "I'm sure we will look back on this one day and laugh." He raised his hands to his cheeks with a grimace. "But not for a while. My cheeks actually hurt from laughing so hard."
"And it feels like I was forced to do a thousand sit-ups," Harry agreed, rubbing a hand over his sore stomach.
"I should have known better than to ingest something you made," Draco sighed, with a weak chuckle.
Harry's eyes widened. "Well, um, I hope that doesn't include my cooking, since the next date is at my place."
"Your place?" Draco's eyes caught his, and Harry could tell memories of hot kisses and naked sexy times were on his mind. This wasn't a date in public like they had agreed on..
"Yes, and I invited a handful of other people," Harry rushed to say, not wanting to give the wrong impression.
Rolling his eyes, Draco nodded. "Fine. See you then."
...
"You remember Luna, of course," Harry said, smiling at the woman with a long braid of white blond hair.
Draco turned to her, and gave her a tentative smile of greeting.
Luna stepped forward to give Draco a hard hug. She whispered in his ear a little before pulling back.
Harry looked at Draco, a little concerned. He was still smiling, but Harry could tell he needed a break.
Giving Luna an apologetic look, he tugged Draco out the back door of the house. It was lightly raining but not too cold. The small porch kept them dry.
Without thinking about it too much, he pulled Draco into a tight hug. Draco froze at first, seeming surprised, but then he sunk into Harry, hugging him back just as hard.
After a few minutes, Harry ran his hands up and down Draco's back in a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry, Draco, I didn't think about how hard it would be for you to face all my old friends."
Draco let out a shaky breath. "People I fought against in the war? People I bullied at Hogwarts? People who were imprisoned in my house?"
Harry pulled back to look at Draco directly. "Well, by the time the Battle at Hogwarts happened, you were looking for a way to get away safely with your parents. You weren't fighting us. And Luna told me ages ago that you brought her food and a blanket when she was at your house. You couldn't do more for her."
Pulling away, Draco turned to face out to the rain, wrapping his own arms tightly over his chest. "I was such a pompous git at Hogwarts."
Resting a hand lightly on his shoulder, Harry chuckled. "We were all idiots. It's part of being a teenager. If you just face everyone and apologize, they will forgive you. A lot of time has passed."
Draco straightened up, and walked back into the house, with Harry trailing behind him. He gave him some space, watching as he went to Luna first, talking softly together, and ending with another hug.
Harry went into the kitchen, pulling some scones out of the oven and adding them to the buffet table in a basket. He refilled a couple items that were running low.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco talking with everyone else the way he had with Luna. Always ending with shared smiles, nods, sometimes a friendly slap on the back or a hug.
He joined Draco eventually, talking with George and Clementine. Draco seemed to be laughing just a little too hard, and he grinned widely at Harry. "Show him, George!"
George was holding a box in his hands and he dumped the contents on to a nearby table. Harry could see it was broken pieces of pottery. "It's a prototype item for my shop, with all the proceeds going to your charity. What was it called again?"
"The Kintsugi Foundation," Harry said, his tone cautious.
George nodded, taking out his wand. "Yeah, right! Well, I thought this would be fun for kids and get your message out there."
He flicked his wand, and the pieces started to reassemble into a single object. Harry groaned as it became apparent what the end result would be. A small ceramic bust of his head and shoulders, complete with the scar on his forehead.
"The kids will of course use special gold glue and repair it by hand, for the true kintsugi experience. I think I'll call them 'Crack Pots'," George proclaimed proudly, and handed the finished piece to Harry.
It was about the size of his hand and fairly light, since it was hollow. He felt a bit speechless, and glanced at his assistant. She had said she would oversee what George was up to in this project.
Clementine gave a small shrug. "This was by far the best idea. Some of the other ideas had your head exploding, which was dangerous for children and a little disturbing. I don't like the name though."
Draco snatched the bust from Harry's hand, turning it over to look at closer. "I think it should be called 'Scarhead'."
Harry glared at him, remembering all those times Draco had called him that at school. Always with a sneer, his head tilted like he was above everyone else.
"Scarhead! That's great!" George said loudly, and people nearby turned to see what he was talking about. Pretty soon everyone at the party was passing around the ceramic bust and throwing out their own suggestions.
Draco moved to stand beside Harry, nudging him with his shoulder, clearly enjoying the way his friends were teasing him.
Feeling a bit irritated, Harry went to the washroom, and then went into the kitchen afterwards, just needing a moment to himself.
Hermione came in, grabbing a beer from the fridge and leaning on the counter by Harry. "Are you doing OK? How are things with Draco?"
"I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, Hermione," Harry sighed. "I thought these nine dates would help us get closer but I keep screwing up."
"I think they are going pretty good. I think chasing a snitch and going to that potions class were a good way to face up to your old feelings from Hogwarts. And this is making Draco make peace with all your old friends," Hermione said calmly.
Harry scoffed. "He already told me that he's taking me to a Slytherin club. Getting back at me for making him do this," he said, running a hand through his hair.
"I think it's good. You will just as uncomfortable there as he was here, at first. But sometimes things aren't so bad when you look at them again as an adult. Let go of your old Slytherin prejudices and try to see them as real people."
Harry sighed. "Well, I guess you and Ron have already made your peace with him. I saw how friendly you three were at the gala."
Hermione looked down, and spoke to Harry in a quiet voice. "You should have seen him, Harry. He had none of his usual swagger. He looked kind of lost and sad, dressed up so nice and just watching you as you worked the crowd after your speech. I could tell he wanted to talk with you so badly."
Her words shocked Harry, and he could tell she meant them. What had it been like for Draco, when Harry wouldn't talk to him after their fight? Had he felt like Harry had, when Draco had left after their third session at the brothel and refused to see him? He could remember how sad and desperate he had felt, willing to do or say anything to have Draco forgive him.
Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder. "Ron and I went to sit with him, mentioning his business and how everyone was talking about the debates. I really love his bookstore, and he is actually quite interesting to talk to. He was even recommending books to Ron on quidditch by the time we went up to get dessert."
Harry gave her a hug. "Thanks," he said softly. They knew each other well enough she knew what it was for. For making Draco feel more welcome at the gala, for giving him some company, for getting to know him as he was now. For seeing how much they liked each other and trying to see what Harry saw in him.
Going back into the living room, Harry went right to Draco's side. He was standing with Neville, Seamus, Dean and Clementine, and mostly seemed to be watching the young woman interacting with the men.
"You really should come up to Hogwarts sometime soon, Clementine. The greenhouse is full of Serendipity roses, and being surrounded by their beauty and soft fragrance is quite breathtaking," Neville said, his brown eyes earnest on her's.
Seamus stood up straighter, shooting Neville a challenging look. "She is already booked up. We are going to the theatre festival in Dublin."
Even Dean seemed to be under her spell now. "You don't need to go that far to see interesting things," he scoffed. "I grew up in muggle London and can get us great seats for a West Ham United match, or we could check out this movie a friend of mine saw lately. He said it was so funny the usher kept having to tell a couple blokes to quit laughing so loudly."
Harry glanced Draco's way, and could tell he was holding back a laugh at that. He surprised Draco by taking his hand, and tugging him over to the buffet table. "Are you doing OK?"
Draco took a plate and loaded it with veggies, dip, fruit and a big brownie. "Sure. That Clementine is amazing though, the way she subtly works those guys, getting them working so hard to impress her. Pure Slytherin, through and through."
Almost choking on a sip of water, Harry wiped his mouth with a napkin. "She's a Weasley! They are all Gryffindors."
Giving a little shrug, Draco popped a strawberry into his mouth. "Once in a while, a different house pops up. Like Sirius Black being a Gryffindor when the rest of his family were Slytherins."
It reminded Harry of the sorting ceremony, and how long the hat had deliberated before putting him in Gryffindor. He looked over at Clementine, calmly flirting with her entourage of admirers. Then he thought of the way she handled his charity work, discouraging the people he didn't want to work with, and forging relationships with those he did. Even the way she encouraged him to fix up the house. Manipulation so subtle he thought it was his own ideas half the time. It fit that she was Slytherin, the more he considered it.
"How awful is this next date going to be for me? A whole private club full of Slytherins?" Harry gave a small shudder at the thought.
Draco gave him a sardonic arched eyebrow. "Any worse than what I faced tonight?"
Not sure how to answer that, he grabbed the brownie off Draco's plate. Harry took a big bite before setting the remainder back. He closed his eyes, savoring the rich chocolate dessert. It was the perfect combination of slightly crunchy on the outside, dense and soft inside.
He opened his eyes to find Draco staring at his mouth, his eyes definitely heated. Harry reacted immediately, strong arousal flowing through his body. His thoughts went to his bed, only a couple flights of stairs away. The party was lively enough that they wouldn't be missed.
Draco set down his plate on the edge of the buffet table, and grabbed Harry's wrist. He yanked him into the hallway, a shadowy and thankfully empty space.
Harry could hardly get a word out before Draco was pushing him against a wall, and kissing him hard. After a few seconds, Harry's arms wrapped around him, tugging him closer. Draco's kisses softened then, long and lingering, making Harry strain to get closer.
Fuck it. Fuck this whole stupid plan for nine platonic dates. Why deny themselves fantastic sex? They could still go on dates and fuck all night afterwards, right? Draco was kissing Harry's neck now, making Harry tilt his head back, just wanting more.
"Come upstairs," Harry panted, opening his eyes to look at Draco. But in the corner of his eye, he saw something move. It was Ron, standing frozen in the doorway. It made Harry freeze as well, stiffening in Draco's arms.
Draco looked around to see what happened, and let Harry go. He straightened his clothes, and ran a hand quickly through his hair. "Yeah, um, I think it's time for me to go. Say goodbye to everyone for me."
He kissed Harry lightly in the lips and waved goodbye at Ron, before slipping out the front door.
Harry sunk against the wall, knowing his face was probably red. It was one thing for his best friend to know he was gay or even see him dancing with a guy at a gala. It was completely different seeing him all hot and heavy with another man.
"Um, I was just going to say goodbye as well. Early shift tomorrow," Ron said with a lopsided grin.
It sent a pang through Harry, suddenly missing working with Ron as partners. The topic hadn't come up for a while, since Harry had been so snappish about it before. At least Hermione and Ron had stayed his friends, through everything he had gone through this year.
Stepping forward, Harry gave him a hug. A bro hug, only touching upper bodies briefly together and slapping each other on the backs affectionately. "Thanks for coming over."
Ron was soon gone, but Harry took a minute before rejoining his guests.
It had been good to kiss Draco, to know all their mutual passion was still as strong as ever. That despite the fight, Harry being distant and not going back to their old ways, Draco still wanted him. Harry as he was now, with a basic barber-shop haircut and department store clothes. And he kept coming on these dates, despite all the uncomfortable situations that kept occurring. He had been the one to drag Harry somewhere for some intense kisses, like he couldn't resist doing it.
...
-A/N: Dating fun! Harry is trying to plan dates they will get them knowing each other better, instead of just going out to restaurants, etc.
-Shaun of the Dead: This 2004 British comedy stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and was directed by Edgar Wright. The BBC review called it a "side-splitting, head-smashing, gloriously gory horror comedy" that will "amuse casual viewers and delight genre fans." It has been called one of the best horror-comedies of all time & Quentin Tarantino includes it in his top twenty films made since 1992.
Plot: "Shaun doesn't have a very good day, so he decides to turn his life around by getting his ex to take him back, but he times it for right in the middle of what may be a zombie apocalypse..." (IMDB).