AN: Not mine. Just borrowing. Cause who wouldn't borrow?
Chapter Two
Duncan O'Driscoll hurried from his house into his car. He was very careful not to bang his briefcase against the door. Normally he wouldn't have taken the time to be so careful. However, today he was driving his own car rather than the company vehicle.
If there was one thing he loved, it was this car. A 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500. Midnight black with chrome accents, tinted windows and black leather interior. He had bought it from a junk yard, five years ago and had painstakingly rebuilt it from the ground up. Oh, this car was his pride and joy. And he knew how to drive it. The speed, the thrill of flying down the road as the rest of the world crawled by at a snail's pace. It was as close to heaven on earth that you could get.
He started the engine and as it purred to life a forbidden memory invaded his thoughts. It was of another love of his life, purring at his touch. Chastising himself for his weakness, he threw the car into gear and peeled out of his driveway towards the city.
Living only 20 minutes from the city was just enough for him. Any farther out and he would have been in manor country. And that was too close to his old life for comfort. Now, he lived in a medium sized ranch style house. A big backyard bordered on other properties. His neighbors all worked in the city as well. The community was for young singles or young families and had been built only a year ago. So far there were no families with children, but Duncan assumed that it would only be a matter of time. Not that he minded either way. It only served as a reminder that he would never be a father. But with his past he wondered if that wasn't a good idea.
Although he had money, it did not show in his everyday life. Before Gracie, his car, he had ridden a bicycle or taken the bus. His house was inexpensively but tastefully decorated. His clothes though tailored, were conservative and fit him well. His only exception to this was his rather extensive library. He was well known in certain circles for wanting to acquire old, strange and mysterious texts. He paid well for them and sometimes went on specials trips to purchase them. He had several contacts that watched garage and yard sales for these types of items. His other vice was his pets.
He had two Irish Wolfhounds. One male named Erebus (Greek God of Darkness and Shadow) and a female named Nyx (Goddess of Darkness and Night). He had bred them several times and had sold off the pups. He also had a couple of snakes. A Black Mamba named Heh (the Egyptian deity of Infinity) and a Coral named Hauhet (deity of Eternity). When his friends came over though, he hid them. Although snakes are not an unusual pet, two of the deadliest in the world would likely be considered so.
Duncan sighed as he took the on ramp to the highway. Luckily he was earlier than usual and would miss most of the morning traffic. The reason for his earlier than usual start was the meeting his partner had mentioned the night before. Christian Glynn was the reason Duncan had a job. He was also the reason that Duncan was in the land of the living. If not for his friendship, Duncan would have remained a eccentric recluse. But a friendly meeting in a out of the way bookstore, and a night of passion had drawn him out. Their partnership now was exclusively plutonic. Having discovered they made better friends than lovers had been less hurtful than either would have imagined. But it had cemented their friendship. And now they owned one of the most prestigious auction houses in the country. It rivaled some of the oldest with it's blend of sophistication and trendiness. It was world renown for honesty and professionalism. Christian had started Qadesh Antiquities 11 years ago. While building a solid reputation, it wasn't until Duncan had shown up 6 years ago that it had taken off. His natural charm and wit had little old ladies eating out of the palm of his hand and vibrant young men handing out their phone numbers. So while Duncan credited Christian with saving him from an early death, Christian credited Duncan with saving Qadesh. Duncan had no experience, but he had followed Christian on his appraisals and received his college degree in an accelerated program, during the rest of the time. When offered half of the business, he gladly accepted.
Half an hour later, after a short stop to the nearest Starbucks, Duncan entered their offices. They were located in a 5 story building near the pier. They had recently taken over the remaining top three floors to handle their growing business. The added floors as well as the 10 new staff members were cause for celebration. It reinforced that their company was doing well. Duncan saw that Christian was running late again and laid his coffee on the desk. He then walked to the end of the hallway where his office was located. It was a huge corner office with an unbelievable view of the pier and bay. With the flick of his wrist, he could hear the sound of the waves rolling on the beach and the screech of a seagull. He could smell the salt air and cool breeze on his face. He stood there for several long minutes just enjoying. Sensing his partner arriving downstairs, he flicked his wrist again and it all disappeared. It was the same every morning. Coffee, waves, seagull, salt air and a brief return to his past. Then it disappeared as his present returned.
"Dunc? You here yet?" Christian called out. Then muttering to himself, "Course you're here. You're early to an early meeting. Hope you didn't forget the, ah. . .hmm, coffee."
Duncan suppressed a chuckle at his partner's noises that sounded suspiciously like the same noises he made during sex. Nobody got in the way of Christian and his early morning fix. Once, an intern they had hired for the summer had thrown out the cup thinking Christian done. It had only contained a mouthful but the way he had reacted it might as well have been a full cup. The poor intern had quit the next day and had developed a distinct dislike of coffee.
"Hey Chris. I'm in my office." Duncan replied. He sat at his desk running thru some figures and requests for appraisals. Only Duncan and Christian did the appraisals. They didn't trust anyone else to not cheat the client or to overbid by lack of experience. It's what took up most of their time but it was also what had made them one of the most sought after houses.
There were several smaller estates that had asked for them. Christian liked to handle those, so Duncan moved them to one pile. There were also two very big ones that made Duncan almost harden in pleasure. One was for Cece Washington. She had been a famous actress in the 30's and 40's. But she had also been heiress to one of the largest collections of pre-civil war and civil war Americana artifacts. Including several writings of Lincoln and other government as well as military officials. Not too mention her own extensive jewelry collection. The other had Duncan having a wet day dream. Sir Geoffrey Tipton the Fourth. Duncan had been waiting for all the legal action that had occurred after his death, to die down. He knew that once it did, he would be called by the family. Tipton had left it in his will that Duncan was to come and do the appraisal himself. Tipton had the largest known private collection of literature known to exist. His tastes ran from spiritual to fiction to private writings. There were hundreds of first editions. Dozens of personally autographed books. And hundreds of others beside that. But Duncan was hoping to verify the rumor of five books in his collection. They were rumored to be written in an unknown language and no linguist or scholar had yet to decipher it. Duncan was hoping they would turn out to be the fabled Diaries of Salazar Slytherin, rumored to be written in Parseltongue. Tipton had used Qadesh before and had formed a friendship with Duncan. However as his own business had kept him out of the country more often than not, Duncan had never had a chance to see the books first hand. He was hoping this was his chance. And if they did exist, he would be purchasing them himself before they ever got to auction.
"Dunc? Did you hear about the Tipton estate? Oh, you got the memo too. Well, I guess you'll be busy with that for the next month. Are you going to set aside any for yourself?" Christian inquired as he walked into Duncan's office.
Duncan nodded. "Yeah, there are a few I have my eye on. And yes it'll take at least 2 weeks to properly catalog everything. Then between packing it, having it brought here for auction and sending the notices to our more personal clientele, it'll be a busy time. Can't wait though." He smiled at the anticipation of it all.
Christian shook his head. "Never understand you and those musty old books, Dunc. But what ever floats your boat. Speaking of which, did you sink your boat into that hot little number I sent your way at the club, the other night?"
Duncan laughed at his friends metaphors before shaking his head. "No, he was so obsessed with his own body, he didn't get the chance to peruse mine. And besides you know that I am saving myself for you, for when you come to your senses."
Christian smirked at that. "Yeah right. Even when we were together, you never let me inside you. Come to think of it, you only ever used your fingers or toys on me. Why is that, Dunc?"
Duncan's smile faltered and a sharp pain crushed against his chest as another memory overtook him.
"Oh Godsssss, please. Do something. Fuck me. Now." He moaned. His lover smirked at him.
"All in good time, lover. You don't know how it pleases me to know that no one has ever taken you before. Or that you have never taken anyone. It will always be that way, won't it my love? Swear it!"
"Oh, yessss. . . Only you, I promise. I swear it." He moaned.
"Dunc? Are you alright? Duncan!" Christian's raised voice brought him back to reality.
"Sorry Christian. Got caught up thinking of bending you over the desk and having my way with you for a few hours." He replied with a smile.
Christian snorted loudly. "Yes, of course you were. Just like I'm looking forward to this meeting with the stuffy Englishman due in 20 minutes."
Duncan stopped his playfulness as his brain processed the meaning of his friend's last words. "What Englishman is that, Christian?"
Christian looked to him strangely at the tone of his voice. "The one Maria scheduled last week. Apparently he is the heir to some huge fortune and wants to rid himself of some of the more eccentric items. He has another house in the UK dealing with things that must be kept there. But he's giving us the majority of the rest. I believe there is an extensive library as well Dunc."
Duncan held his breath. The chances of it being another wizard were small. But he knew to never rule out the impossible or unlikely as Fate often used him as her whipping boy. "What's the name?"
Christian looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure she told me. If she did it's gone. He'll be here soon, so what odds."
Duncan nodded mutely. He sent a silent pray to Merlin that it was just another Muggle with no taste and even less sense. Those he could deal with. Wizards, not so much.
"Yeah. You're right. Wonder if he's got anything worth looking at or will it be one of those 'I have to have something of value here'." Duncan said with a chuckle.
"Well, as it so happens, I do know that I have something of value. However, if you do not want the chance to look, I can easily find someone else to handle my estate." A voice drawled.
Duncan froze without turning around. He knew that voice. He would never forget it. Even after 6 years and an ocean away, he would know that voice til the day he died.
Christian spun around as soon as the other person had begun speaking. "Sorry about that. You'll have to forgive Duncan. He doesn't get laid on a regular basis, so sometimes we have to make excuses for him."
The other male laughed deeply at the joke. "Quite alright. And I can see that your straightforward reputation is not without merit. I look forward to working with you."
Christian smiled brilliantly and held out his hand. "That goes for me as well. Christian Glynn, Co-Owner of Qadesh Antiquities. This is my partner, Duncan O'Driscoll. Duncan play nice and shake the man's hand."
Until now, he had been contemplating a way to get out of the office without being seen. When he had left his other life behind, he had made minimal changes to his appearance. Longer hair that was still black as night. Contacts had taken the place of his glasses, although his eyes were still an emerald green. The main difference was the lack of any distinguishing marks on his body. And although he was much fitter and had better clothes, he knew that the male behind him would recognize him instantly. So, while he knew that he would most likely regret it, he turned around.
"Like he said, my name is Duncan O'Driscoll." He said tightly.
The only sign of recognition from the other man was a slight widening of the eyes. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. O'Driscoll. My name is Draco Malfoy."
Duncan nodded his thanks at the show of anonymity. "Nice to meet you Mr. Malfoy. Please call me Duncan."
Malfoy nodded. "Only if you return the favor, Duncan."
Duncan nodded. "So, Draco. What exactly would you like us to do for you? Actually, first off. Can you give me a rough estimate of your estate?"
Draco thought for a moment. "Well, I assume you are familiar with the types of things that some of these old seemingly magical estates have. I have gone thru most of it and have made sure that certain items are no longer hazardous to anyone. It is fairly large. And I am looking to get rid of most if it."
If he noticed anything suspicious going on, Christian never said a word. "Well, if it is a larger estate and Dunc will be traveling to England, then I will excuse myself. He usually handles the larger ones and I don't fly. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy. I hope that Qadesh can be of service to you."
Draco smiled and shook Christian's offered hand. "I'm sure it will, Mr. Glynn. I hope to see you again soon. Very soon."
If Duncan didn't know better, he would have thought Draco was flirting with his partner. Indeed, Christian seemed to think so as well. He blinked slowly and a blushed a little at Draco's now obvious appraisal of him.
"I'll see you for lunch, Chris. Don't forget about picking up Nadira's meds." Duncan reminded his friend. Getting a nod of acceptance, he moved to the door and shut it tightly. Waving his hand again, he set several locking and silencing charms on it. The he turned to the other occupant of the room.
"Well, well. Harry Potter. So this is where you have been hiding out for the past 6 six years." He said softly. "I wouldn't have imagined you coming half way around the globe to escape our world though."
Duncan cringed at the name that he hadn't heard in so long. "It's Duncan now, Draco. I haven't been. . .him. . . for a long time."
Draco saw the hesitation and hurt flit across his once enemy's face. "My apologizes Duncan. I should have guessed something when I felt the protection wards around the building. Only you could have made wards so strong. I take it that your partner has no idea who you are?"
Duncan shook his head. "No one does. When he found me in an old bookstore, still trying to sober up from the night before, I gave him my new name. Things just went from there."
Draco snorted. "Typical. A struggling antiques and auction house. Enter the Great Harry Potter and all of a sudden it becomes one of the most prestigious and reputable in the world. Seems that even changing your name had no effect on your luck."
Duncan heard the words but it was what he didn't hear that kept him from snapping back. There was no sarcasm or sneering voice. It was just an ordinary statement, one free of the jealousy that had reigned in their rivalry. He looked at Draco in surprise who merely smirked back.
"What? You're the only one who can grow up, Scarhead?" He asked with a teasing voice.
To his own surprise, Duncan heard himself genuinely laughing for the first time in a long time. Even over the years he had spent with Christian, he had always missed the sarcastic and witty humor that was only possessed by Slytherins. And with that thought, he stopped laughing as another memory forced it's way into his mind.
"You can teach me. I know you can. You taught me Occulmency, you can teach me this." He pleaded with his lover.
"I taught you Occlumency and it took the greater part of your sixth year. Not to mention most of my free time and sanity. No I can not teach you this. It is ingrained in oneself, it is a natural reaction, a natural defense." His lover replied.
"Please, Severus. I have no doubt in my mind that you can do it. I will study, I will practice. Please, Sev, please." He begged.
"Potter, there is no way I can teach you how to be sarcastic or have wit. There is no way to prepare a repertoire of retorts when you have no idea what will be said beforehand. It can not be done." He said shaking his head.
He had gotten a gleam in his eye then. "Well Sev, I hope you understand that I am going to try and change your mind." He said this as he slid to his knees and started unbuckling his lover's pants.
"Duncan! Duncan! Harry!" Draco had been calling out to him for a few seconds before the use of his former name got his attention.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm the panic and hurt that permeated his being at the mere thought of his former lover. "Sorry, Draco." It was all he could bring himself to say.
Draco knew exactly what had happened. When he had worked at the Ministry he had heard about and had then witnessed one of the panic attacks that overcame Potter from time to time. It was rumored to be a long lasting curse from his battle with the Dark Lord. But Draco knew that the attacks had started after Potter and Severus had separated.
That was not something he had ever understood. The month before the spectacular split, Severus had come to see him. As his godson, he wanted to know how Draco felt about Potter. He had been honest. He still didn't like him, but Potter had been the one to save him from the Malfoy Manor dungeons after his father had imprisoned and tortured him. Potter had seen it in one of his visions and had left the school in the middle of the night, alone, to come get him. Draco knew that had if it weren't for Potter he would be dead. So he told Severus the truth. He didn't like him but he had great respect for him. And if Severus wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, then he would stand by him. Maybe even visit on a semi regular basis. Severus had been so pleased to hear it that he had hugged Draco. Something he had not done since Draco was a child.
"It's okay Har. . .Duncan. I know it must still hurt." Draco empathized.
Duncan turned pain filled eyes toward him. "Hurt doesn't even describe it Draco. Nothing the Dark Lord thru at me caused me the agony that this has." He wouldn't have normally disclosed this to anyone, let alone his one time nemesis. But there was something different about this Draco that stood in front of him.
"Let's go somewhere and talk, Duncan. My business can wait for a few hours. It helps to talk you know. Or at least that's what my therapist tells me. That and I shouldn't blame my father for my problems. Course, they don't know my father was Lucius Malfoy." He said with a dead panned face.
It had the desired effect as Duncan broke a smile and then laughed heartily. "Draco, I believe I will take you up on half that offer. Let's talk about what's going on back there. What everyone's doing? When I left, I cut off all contact except to write I was going. And that was only to a select few. I haven't sought out the magical community here so I don't even know what's going on anywhere."
Draco bite his lip as he wondered just how much to tell Duncan. There were things that he should know and things that could only cause him more heartache. Silently promising to keep as much from him as he could he nodded. "Deal. Where's a good place to get some breakfast?"
Duncan smiled. "I know a little spot just outside the city. Come on, we'll take my car." Grabbing the remains of his coffee he motioned to Draco. The two walked out the door and stopped at Christian's office on the way. Duncan loved his friend and wanted to make sure he didn't get the wrong idea about Draco and him. "Chris, Draco and I are going to talk about his estate over breakfast. Did you want to come with us?" He hoped Chris could see the look he was directing his way.
Christian looked up. He stared at his friend and could read him like a book. The look he as directing at him was easy to read and he once again thanked God for his friend. "Not right now thanks, Dunc. But actually, I was wondering if Draco would like to go out for drinks later tonight?"
Draco smiled at the red head's hopeful invitation. "I would like that very much, Christian. How about you pick me up at my hotel around 7. Just come on up to my room. It's the Royal York and room number 1509."
Christian's eyes flared with lust. "7 it is, Draco."
Duncan smirked at his friend's interest. If he only knew the things that wizards could do during sex if they wanted too. He was sure that after tonight, Christian would never want another man but Draco in his bed. "Now that you have settled on a time, we'll be off. Don't forget Nadira's meds, Chris."
Christian rolled his eyes. "I won't forget Duncan. Gees, it was only once you know."
Duncan laughed. "I know but she told me to remind you several times."
Having antagonized his friend enough, he turned to Draco and motioned for the other man to walk ahead of him. The took the elevator to the ground floor and walked around to parking garage. Draco's eyes widen when they saw the car Duncan was headed to.
"Oh please Merlin, don't tell me that you own this car. Please, don't tell me that you own this car." He whined.
Duncan looked at him with amusement. "And why is that Draco Malfoy? Don't tell me that you, a pureblood of the highest standing in your world, could possibly lower himself to want a Muggle car."
Draco mock glared at his old enemy. "Muggle invention or not, this is a classic car. How much did it cost you?"
Duncan laughed. "Actually it only cost me $1000. The previous owner had let it rot away in his garage and dumped it off at a scrap yard. I found it, brought it home and rebuilt it from the ground up."
Draco looked up at him from his inspection. "You did this. Magic?" Seeing a negative response, he looked at Duncan with a new respect. "Excellent work. Well, come on. Let's see what she's got!"
Duncan laughed again and opened the doors. Turning the key, the engine roared to life and he could almost hear Draco harden sitting next to him. "Maybe I'll let Chris take Gracie for your date tonight?"
Draco looked over at him and licked his lips slightly. "That would be nice of you."
Twenty minutes later they were pulling into Duncan's driveway. Draco looked around in confusion. "I thought you were taking me for breakfast?"
Duncan nodded as he unlocked the front door. "I am. This is my place and I'm cooking for you. And before you make some snarky comment, I can cook very well thank you. I've even taken a few classes on gourmet cuisine."
Draco still looked skeptical but he agreed. "Alright, but it had better be decent. So Pot. . er sorry. Duncan, what would you like to know about home?"
A pained expression crossed Duncan's face as he replied. "This is home now Draco. That, that is a memory."
Again Draco was taken back at the anguish Duncan showed so clearly. He felt, for the first time, anger at Severus for his part in all this. For causing the man in front of him such pain. "My apologizes, Duncan."
He gave a small smile to the blond as he moved to the fridge. "No problem. Well, let's see. Who's Minister? Is Dumbledore still Headmaster? How are the Weasley's? Tell me everything?"
Draco was relieved that he hadn't asked about Severus. In truth he didn't know what to tell him in that regard. He didn't know how deep the hurt went and what would happen when he found out.
"Well, let's see. Madame Bones is still Minister. Doing a good job too. Werewolf and Vampire laws are so much better now. They have rights and are able to work. In fact, Lupin has been the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the past 4 years now. He and Tonks have a little girl named Lily. You were named her godfather in absentia. If you ever return, you will be hit with a magic binding oath there."
Duncan swallowed hard as he whipped up the makings of an omelet. "I've missed out on so much."
Draco hurried on. "Dumbledore is still going strong and McGonagall as well. They believe that they are discreet with their union but everyone knows. Bill and his wife Fleur have 2 kids as you know, both attend Beauxbatons. Charlie is still single but still very gay and in Romania. Percy is of course still serving his sentence in Azkaban along side Fudge. Fred and George have opened at least 8 new stores all over the World since you left. But the last time we talked they were still dumping your share of the business money into an account for you. Ron is married to Pansy Parkinson. Don't even ask because I don't believe that they even know how that happened. But they have 2 little boys. Red hair and pug nosed. Cute though. Ginny, well Ginny has gained a bit of a reputation. She's Chaser for Puddlemere but she chases pretty much anything with two legs and a dick. At least that's what Ron said last time I was over to dinner with him and Pansy."
Duncan looked shocked at Draco's revelations. Beyond the fact that Draco was friends with all the Weasley's, Ginny was most surprising. She had gone round the bend a little when Harry had refused her advances and told her he was gay. But to hear how far she'd sunk. He shook his head.
Draco took a breath before beginning again. "Other than that, not much has changed." He hoped that Duncan didn't ask about anything, or more specifically, anyone else. But he saw the deep breath of courage being taken by the man across from him.
"And. . .and how is. ." Duncan cursed his weakness. First for thinking to ask, then for the inability to do so. He raised his eyes to meet Draco's. They held not pity but compassion and he almost cried.
Draco swallowed audibly before sighing. "A lot has happen in his life since you left, Harry. And none of it good."
Duncan knew that Draco had used his name on purpose and was going to chastize him when the rest of his sentence caught his attention. "What do you mean? He was getting married and going to have this perfect life with the slut, wasn't he?" Anger had started to bleed into his sadness now. Severus had given him up for a perfect little wife, for a perfect little house, perfect little children. Things Harry couldn't give him. Now to hear that he had none of those was worse. Severus had given up their happiness and had gotten crap instead. His vindictive Slytherin side said good, his compassionate Gryffindor side wanted to rush to him and make it better.
Draco took a breath. This was not going to be easy but he had come to the conclusion that Harry needed to know the whole truth. "Well, the week after you left, they held their engagement party on All Hallow's Eve. It started out alright until someone started to ask if you would be coming. Severus tried to explain that you had other plans. No one knew yet that you had disappeared because Kingsley and the MLE had covered it up. The Director was afraid of the chaos it would cause if it was learned that you were missing. Before he could answer, she jumped in saying that you couldn't let go of the past and refused to come. She claimed that you were harassing them day and night, sending them nasty owls. She said other things but I can't remember it all. Everyone seemed ready to believe her until Severus spoke. He called her a 'pathetic liar'. He told everyone that you had plans but sent well wishes to everyone. He also said that she should take care about insulting you. She shut up after that but she was obviously furious."
"It wasn't until a few weeks later that she got her revenge. He came home to find her in bed with Oliver Wood and Neville Longbottom. It was pretty nasty. The next day she was found outside St. Mungo's, beaten. Of course, she blamed him and he was arrested. There was no evidence but it was common knowledge about what had happened the day before. He was denied Veritaserum and because of his past allegiances, he was convicted on her word. After all, who would question one of the heros of the war, one who had been Harry's Potter's best friend. Her testimony was under Veritaserum. That's still a mystery, because you and I both know that he would never have beaten her. He got 6 months, she got everything. They weren't even married but the judge gave it to her as compensation. It included several patents for new potions he had created. After he got out, he went back to Hogwart's. Dumbledore and McGonagall never doubted him for a moment."
"It's been 5 years since then and he's still teaching. But he's not the same Harry. He's broken and I've often gone to see him, finding him drunk and passed out. He's not nasty or intimidating anymore. He's broken and I believe that you are the only one who can fix him." Draco finished in a rush. There, he'd done it. Harry now knew the truth. He had broken a promise to Severus but he'd done it. Severus had once made him promise, that with all the traveling he did, if he ever saw Harry to never reveal to him what had happened. He believed that he had gotten what he deserved for leaving Harry as he had.
When he looked to Harry, he expected to see sympathy or even sadness. What he did not expect to see was rage. A rage so strong that Draco could feel the air around him vibrating with magic. Magic so strong, that he once again thanked Merlin that he had chosen the Light side and had not been facing Harry as an enemy during the Final Battle.