Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot and original characters are mine and may not be used without prior consent.

Warning: NOT BETAD!!

A/N: Hello girls and boys! (I seriously wonder how many men are reading this. Feedback please. grin.) Thank you for all the wonderful reviews you bestowed on me. They were throughout positive and it made me really happy to read that you can cope with my English.
I'm tinkering at an email-alert at the moment, so if you should be interested in it, there'll be some information about it in the next chapter.

Strong Hands
xxxx CHAPTER II xxxx
'Entry: Blaise's new girlfriend and her best friend'

The week went by fairly quickly, what probably was again caused by all the overtime hours. He had worked his arse again off and this time it was even worse, because he had needed to squeeze the work of six days into five to have Saturday off.

The only thing that had probably kept him halfway sane had been James' letters, that always seemed to flutter in when he needed a distraction or rest the most. And to his horror he had more than once been a whining and moaning pain in the… neck about his job and how he hated overtime hours.

And every time the owl had left his office he had wanted to hit himself for writing so much bollocks and probably scaring the only interesting male in ages off, but the owl returned every time and always with a cute, lovely letter that encouraged him with words and made him smile.

Pansy and Blaise were right. He had a thing for a stranger he only knew due to some letters that could, by all he knew, be fake from first to last word. He slowly needed to admit that or otherwise he'd be at risk of loosing the last bit of sanity he had managed to keep somehow in tact.

Tuesday. Tuesday had been the worst until then. He had thought he had hit rock bottom when he had almost thrown himself out of the window, trying to catch the owl and pull it back in. That he could have used his wand hadn't even crossed his mind in that moment. With Gryffindor courage, he didn't own – so it was probably more like Dutch courage, although he had been sober, he had asked James in a letter how he looked like and of course he hadn't caught the ruddy owl and it had flown off to deliver the parchment piece of doom.

Much later that day, when he was finally at home, he knew he hadn't hit rock bottom with the unintended suicide attempt, but now that he stood under the shower and wanked to the images he had created with James's descriptions of himself. On the one hand he had afterwards felt like a total pervert, on the other hand he hadn't felt that relaxed in a long time.

But what would you have done, if you were gay, unbalanced (aka sexually starved) and had gotten a personal description that sounded like the man of your dreams? Precisely!

If James really looked like he said he did, he, Draco, definitely needed to get an appointment with the man. Or maybe not. It would probably be his undoing one way or another. If he wouldn't look like the man he imagined, Draco knew he wouldn't trust anyone new in a long time. And if he, by chance, had spoken the truth and looked like the Greek god he imagined, Draco knew his little heart would break, because he couldn't have him.

Dark, long hair. Tall (to be precise, taller than Draco). Fit, because he needed strength for his profession. And, to quote him, 'a broad chest to lie on - it has been tested…', unquote.

Draco didn't know why James had mentioned that. Was it to tease him? Was it a description he always used for himself? (If so… what kind of macho was he writing to?) But he definitely knew that he felt jealousy he hadn't felt in a while of those who had 'tested' that chest-pillow.

And to his shame he had to admit that it hadn't remained by that one time under the shower. Actually, from Tuesday on, every time an owl brought him a new letter from James, he knew he was blushing heavily, but at the same time feeling the sudden tightness in his pants. At those moments he thanked every deity that he wore robes and not just trousers.

Late Saturday afternoon he stood in front of his full-body mirror and sighed for the umpteenth time. That man was driving him insane and he didn't even know why. They didn't talk about anything but trifles and everyday life, so why was he so smitten with James and couldn't get him out of his system? Maybe the 'stranger-factor' made him more interesting than he actually was. Maybe Draco was just desperate for any attention he could get.

He had no idea and it was depressing him. Again he called up the image of the other man he'd created in his mind and sighed again. Why hadn't he told him his eye-colour? He couldn't imagine a face without eyes and had tried brown, grey, blue, but nothing seemed to fit. That James hadn't said anything about the description he'd gotten about Draco, unsettled the blond as well and put another stone to the weight he already felt on his shoulders and heart.

He buttoned the cuffs of his black shirt and shook his head as if shaking the bad mood off. He needed to be happy tonight or Pansy wouldn't leave him alone and bug him until he snapped. He didn't want to snap, or Pansy would make him pay for it – dearly. He grabbed his jacket and used the floo network to Blaise's flat.

xXx

"Hey, hun." Pansy greeted him, when he stepped elegantly out of the fireplace and enveloped him immediately in a tight hug. "How's your week been?" she asked after seeing him for the first time after last weekend.

"Busy." He said without further explanations and let go of his best friend. She didn't approve of too many overtime hours because she thought it would turn him into a wreck, and maybe that wasn't that far-fetched, but that was no good enough reason to bear with her nagging about it.

"Where's the rest?" he asked quickly to change the topic and threw his jacket over the sofa backrest.

"Oh, we're all on the balcony, because it's such a nice evening. I just heard the chime, because I came from the bathroom." Draco nodded and they went through the living room to the kitchen that led to the balcony. Once inside the spacious kitchen Pansy grabbed Draco's elbow and held him back for a moment. The blond only lifted one eyebrow and looked at the young woman.

"I, eurm, thought it would be best to give you a small warning." Draco's eyebrows scrunched up and he wondered what the warning would be about. "Blaise's new girlfriend is here."

"Yes, I know." said the blond nonchalantly. "That's the reason why we're here, right?"

"You won't believe who the girl is." Pansy said quietly.

"Oh come on, Panse, it can't be that bad. As long it's not Crabe or Goyle that have undergone a sex change it can't be that shocking." He said amused and twisted his neck to get a look at the balcony, but Pansy grabbed his head with both hands and forced his look back on her.

"No, it's not THAT bad, but she's a Gryffindor."

"Yeah, right. Of course." Draco snorted and wound his head out of Pansy's hands. He went backwards, keeping his eyes on Pansy that she wouldn't pull him back again, until he stood in the doorframe of the balcony door. "Really funny, Panse, as if he would date… GRANGER." The blond exclaimed when he saw the female third of the former Golden Trio, standing on the balcony.

She didn't look anymore like the Granger he knew from Hogwarts eight years ago, but it was without a doubt the know-it-all Hermione Granger. Her breasts were bigger, her hips were curvier, her hair was longer, blonder and not frizzy anymore, but all in all it was still Granger.

"Oh, hi, Malfoy." The former Gryffindor said and smiled nervously at him. Blaise stood up from his chair and got behind Hermione in a reassuring manner. He whispered something in her ear and pushed her slightly forward. Draco, who still stood in the doorframe, felt Pansy's form behind himself and stumbled forward when she gave him a push.

"Draco,…" Blaise began with a broad grin, but Malfoy could see the fear in his eyes. Pah, as if he would make a scene because of the girl. He had grown up over the last years. What did his friends think of him? That he still enjoyed preposterous little insult games? Oh, please, where should he take the energy from?

"… this is Hermione. Hermione, this is Draco." The young woman reached her right hand tentatively out and smiled warily.

"Hello… Draco." The blond lifted his eyebrows at hearing his first name coming out of the Gryffindor's mouth and looked down at the outstretched hand. He looked back up again and saw Blaise's pleading, begging puppy eyes staring at him.

Oh, damn it, he had gotten soft in his old days, he thought when he sighed and took Granger's hand to shake it. "Hello… Her…mione." He thought Blaise's face would split in two when he smiled.

They took their seats and Draco could finally greet Theo, who had stayed out of the whole 'commotion', always being the calm, cool and collected of the quartet. Jonathan wasn't with them today, but got spoiled by his paternal grandparents.

"So, Gra… sorry, old habit," Hermione dismissed it with a smile. "so what happened to Weasel and you?" Draco asked, when he poured himself a glass of wine. He wasn't bothered when Blaise glared at him; he had expected that much and only concentrated on Granger.

Hermione looked calmly at him and took a sip from her glass. "There had never been a 'Ron and I'. We've always only been friends – very close ones, but only friends nevertheless." Draco's eyes betrayed his surprise, but he kept his mouth further shut.

xXx

He was sure he would never ever admit it outside of this little group, but Hermione was nice. A good conversationalist, with an intriguing black humour he hadn't ever expected from a Gryffindor. They got, truth be spoken, fairly good along and seemed to astound not only themselves, but the other three as well with this revelation.

They had enjoyed a delicious dinner on the balcony and had moved into the living room, now that it got a bit chilly outside. They took their seats and Draco hadn't been quick enough to hide the pain in his eyes, when Hermione sat in Blaise's lap and Pansy and Theo snuggled up together on a loveseat. He felt like the proverbial fifth wheel.

Hermione saw the look and knew from the very first second what it meant. She had seen it often enough in the eyes of her best friend. She sat up in Blaise's lap and turned to Draco, who had decided to sit on a fluffy rug in front of the fireplace.

"So, Draco, Blaise told me you wanted to plan your birthday party for next weekend. What are your plans?"

The blond just wanted to protest, telling Hermione that he hadn't intended to plan anything, when Pansy squealed loudly and sat up.

"Yes, let's plan the party. I almost forgot." The young mother cried excitedly and conjured notebook and quill to pen everything down. Draco just rolled his eyes and lay down on the rug. He had no say in this one way or another, so the easiest was to let Pansy have her will and accept that there'd be a party for him.

Staring up at the ceiling of Blaise's flat and hearing his friends talk excitedly about a party for him, he didn't even want, mind you, his mind began to wander and landed, like so often in the last days, on James. This morning he, once again, had gotten a letter wishing him a good morning and a wonderful day.

Sometimes he needed to remind himself that he didn't know James and would probably never know. So many small things they'd shared so far, so many beautiful words he had gotten from him, so many wonderful dreams – it all made him believe that James was real and with him and not just a pile of many pieces of paper that could be lies, and nothing but lies.

"Draco?" he blinked a couple of times and his eyes focused back on the ceiling. "Dracooo?"

"Huh?" He heard Pansy chuckle and finally looked over to the sofas.

"Are you finally with us?" Pansy asked sweetly

"What is it, Panse?"

"We're poring over the guest list and I wondered if you'd like to invite your masseur?" The young woman asked and wasn't the only one that leered at him openly.

Draco almost choked on his own spit when he inhaled sharply and sat up hastily at the same time. "Are you off your frigging trolley? I will not invite James. He'll think I've finally lost my mind."

"Oh, don't get a knot in your wand. It would be the perfect opportunity to meet him the first time. You wouldn't be alone with him."

While Pansy kept arguing with the annoyed Malfoy heir that he should invite a stranger to a party he wasn't fond of, Hermione turned to Blaise and leaned close to him. The last sentences had sent off an alert in her mind.

"Love, what are they talking about?" she whispered close to his ear and pressed a kiss to the spot beneath it."

"Oh, it's not much. Draco's in denial, as always. He got something like a pen pal, because he had gotten an owl that wasn't for him and now he won't admit that he has a thing for the stranger." Blaise explained and tightened his arms around Hermione's waist when she snuggled closer to his chest.

"And that pal's called James?" Hermione pressed on and the frown on her face deepened when Blaise nodded affirmatively.

"Yup, he said he's a masseur. Have you ever seen this 'Strong Hands' ad in the Daily Prophet?" Hermione nodded slowly, her eyes not betraying her thoughts that raced around in her mind at light speed. "Strong Hands is this James' business."

All of a sudden Hermione jumped up off Blaise's lap and everyone stopped talking to look at her in confusion. She tripped around the coffee table and almost fell over Draco, who still sat on the floor.

"I… I… oh, look how late it's already. Blaise you know, Harry promised to pick me up when he leaves Ron's, I'll just meet him half-way." Before she could hurry to grab her coat and shoes, Blaise's arm wrapped around her waist and held her close to the broad chest.

"No, you won't. I won't let you go alone. You'll wait here until Potter shows up." As if on cue the doorbell rang and Hermione wound out of Blaise's embrace and hurried over to the door of the flat. The three other Slytherins looked at Blaise with the same questioning expression, but the young man could only shrug cos he was as clueless.

"Harry." Hermione greeted her friend with a voice that the brunette didn't know if he should make a bolt or not. "Come in. I just need to get my coat and shoes." Rather reluctantly the former Golden Boy stepped over the threshold and protested quietly, when Hermione dragged him into the living room.

Four curious eye pairs stared at him and he lifted his right hand to wave rather charily at the four Slytherins. "Hullo." He greeted them lamely and looked frantically around when he didn't anymore feel Hermione's hand on his back, only to see that she wasn't behind him anymore. He turned back to the other four and smiled sheepishly.

"Hello, Potter. Long time no see." Blaise said and Harry sighed in relief that the suffocating silence was over.

"But it would be a lie if you would tell you missed me." Blaise laughed and went over to shake hands with the brunette.

"True. True. Thanks for picking her up. I don't know why she likes to walk instead of using the floo system."

"No problem, your flat's on my way back home anyway."

"Hello, Potter." Pansy greeted and pushed her way around Blaise's big form to extend her hand. She smiled friendly and Harry was a bit suspicious, but dismissed it and shook her hand.

"Hello, Parkinson."

"Actually, Nott, now." Pansy turned aside that Harry could see Theodore sit on the loveseat, friendly waving at him. "My wonderful hubby." Pansy cooed at him and Harry and Blaise snorted amused. Draco still sat on the rug in front of the fireplace and stared openly at Harry.

"Hello, Malfoy." Harry said quietly when he noticed the stare. He even smiled a bit at the blond, but it faltered, when Malfoy turned away and had nothing more to say than "Potter." in this cold voice that Harry still remembered from school, even though it had already been eight years ago.

Hermione rested her hand on Harry's back and peeked around him. "I'm ready." She said to no one in particular and squeezed through the gap between the doorframe and Harry, to get into the living room and wrap her arms around Blaise. "Thank you for the nice evening. Will you call me tomorrow?"

Blaise only nodded and kissed her good-night, before she said her goodbyes to the other Slytherins. She squat in front of Draco and smiled. "Thank you for allowing me to see the real Draco Malfoy. I hope we will see each other again soon."

Draco looked a bit surprised for a moment, but nodded. "Yes, it was a pleasure to meet you. And if Blaise doesn't invite you to my blasted party, you're now invited by me, okay?" Hermione grinned and wrapped her arms around a stunned Malfoy heir.

xxXxx

TBC

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