Chapter Two: Mad, I'd Say

When lunch time came around on Friday, Ron was too busy to leave his desk. "Sorry, mate," he said, not looking up from his paperwork, "but I just can't spare the time. Hermione packed me a sandwich, it'll have to do."

Alone, Harry took the elevator up to the atrium and then apparated into the alley near his favorite coffee shop. He made his way down the street, though his progress was hardly speedy. Everyone took lunch at the same time, even the muggles. He finally made it to Le café d'enchantement, a coffee shop strictly for magic folk. Of course, mostly only ministry workers came in during the day, but at night the café became a little club that many a witch or wizard came out to have a good time. You couldn't just apparate into the building because the owners thought that was rather rude. Plus, anyone could apparate into the backroom and steal something.

The little bell jingled as Harry opened the door, a soft breeze following in behind him, making nearly everyone glance out of reflex. Draco Malfoy stood at the end of the line. He inclined his head to Harry and then turned back around like everyone else. Harry sidled up behind him, careful to keep some distance. He looked about the café, where a very large number of people were sitting about having coffee and pastries. There were only a few tables still open and some of those were missing chairs, as larger groups had stolen them to put at the end of booths.

He could vaguely hear Draco ordering black coffee and a blueberry scone. When the blonde man stepped aside, Harry ordered chamomile tea and a large fruit cup. He stood beside Draco as they both waited for their food and drink. Draco cleared his throat and offered, "lovely day, inn'it?"

"Oh, yes. Quite lovely."

"Here's your scone and coffee, sir," the barista handed him the order, "have a marvelous day."

"Thank you, you too," and he moved off to seat himself. Harry was not far behind him, as the barista handed over his fruit cup and tea just a moment after.

They stood awkwardly side-by-side, looking around for seats, even though they could both see that the only places open were two tables against the wall right next to each other. One table was missing its chair, so that the booth against the wall was the only place to sit for it. "Looks like we'll have to sit together," Harry shrugged.

"Not together," Draco corrected, "just next to each other."

Harry forced himself to chuckle. "Indeed." He offered to take the booth and Draco let him, setting himself in the chair at the table over. Of course, this made it impossible not to look at each other as Harry popped the top off his fruit cup and Draco unwrapped his scone.

After the first couple bites, it was Harry's turn to clear his throat. "Er, so—I haven't seen you since we sent the kids to Hogwarts. Are you alright?"

Draco took a swig of coffee before answering. "Too much paperwork, in my opinion. But other than that, I suppose I can't complain. And you?"

"Ginny thinks I work too much. Sometimes I agree with her, and other times I wish I could work more." He wasn't entirely sure why he had revealed so much, but it had been nagging at him for a while and it felt nice to say it aloud. He hadn't even really told Ron, or Hermione, about his restlessness.

Draco nodded, "Astoria thinks the same of me, and I the same as you."

This time Harry's laugh wasn't forced. "We were a bit spoiled as far as action in our lives when we were growing up, weren't we?"

Draco's smile was lopsided; Harry assumed it was a habit of too many years of smirking. It occurred to him that Draco had grown quite a bit. He was no longer unsure of who he was, and he was no longer so much of an ass (or a tool, for that matter). "Perhaps, but spoiled may not be the best word."

Harry had to agree. He could have done without nearly dying every few months, or so, for seven years. And he was sure Draco could have done without his father telling him what to do, and having the overwhelming power of Voldemort over him.

For a moment, their silence wasn't uncomfortable, as they both remembered a more difficult time. Draco found it funny, as well as sad, that their childhoods hadn't been simple. The idea of reflecting on simpler times was not a luxury either of them had.

"You know," Harry said, just as Draco began to say, "I think." They both looked at each other for a moment, before Harry allowed him to go first.

"I was just going to say that I think we may still be being children, a bit. Why is it that you've saved my life and yet the only time we speak is when we're thrown together in a coffee shop?"

"It could be that we were enemies. My saving you only went so far as to make us not hate each other. It certainly didn't make us friends."

"I was only your enemy because I was jealous." Harry made a disbelieving sound. "I'm serious! You had fame without trying, you had smart friends who were actually loyal to you, you had powerful magic when you'd had no idea that you were a wizard until you were eleven, and you had a charm that even my handsome face couldn't compete with."

Harry rolled his eyes, "please. That charm, if it really exists, didn't really do much for me."

Draco laughed aloud, "only because you were too blind to see how much all those girls wanted to date you."

"I knew they wanted to!"

"Then why didn't date them! Or at least shag them, Harry!"

"Take advantage of their being star struck?"

"Oh Harry," Draco shook his head, "always above the whiles of others."

"I only had eyes for Cho, at the time. And then, Ginny, of course."

"I don't understand that. How could you focus in on one girl?"

"Wait a minute," Harry countered, "what about you and Pansy Parkinson?"

Draco laughed, but he made a face like he was sorry the conversation had taken this turn. "Oh, she was awful, wasn't she? I thought it was remarkable how atrocious she was. She made me feel scarier, in a way. Of course, she wasn't the only girl I slept with, you know. I wasn't stuck on her. She was just for show."

"Did she know that?"

Draco laughed again. Harry found that he was glad that the two of them had come to that point; that they could laugh together. "Of course. I wasn't secretive about it. She hated it and we fought about it often, but she was obsessed with me, I'm afraid, and I couldn't shake her, even when I began to think that I wanted to."

"How did you come to marry Astoria, then, if I may be so bold?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. Pansy told me that I had to choose between her and other girls. She said she was tired of me not being exclusive with her. I knew that she wouldn't actually leave, of course, but I hoped. I told her that I wouldn't be only with her and that maybe she should try shagging another guy." Harry laughed openly, but didn't interrupt any more than that. "She thought that would be a great idea, to show me how hurtful it felt. She slept with Marcus, actually. Remember him? Slytherin's Quidditch captain in our second year?" Harry made a face, to show that remembered Marcus and that he wasn't impressed with Pansy's choice. "Yes, well. She ended up falling madly in love with him and wouldn't give me the time of day. Marcus begged me to take her back, but there wasn't much I could do. Not that I wanted to." He shrugged, "she was a strange girl."

"Mad, I'd say."

Draco's lopsided smile presented itself again, before he took his final bites of his scone. "Well, I met Astoria not long after that. I was courting, if you will,Daphne at the time. When she took me to her house, Astoria was there and I was immediately intrigued by her."

"Astoria is the younger sister, right?"

"Yes, but not much younger."

Harry laughed, "I didn't mean for that to sound judgmental. Ginny is younger than me, so I really can't say anything." He looked about for the first time since they'd begun their talk and realized that the café was nearly empty. He looked down at watch and leapt up with alarm. "Merlin's beard, it's nearly two o'clock." His hour for lunch was all but up! Had they really been talking that long?

Draco looked just as shocked. "Are you sure your watch isn't fast?"

"Yes, I always have synced with the clock in the ministry lobby."

"We best hurry then. You ought to eat your fruit along the way."

Harry looked down at the table, where his fruit cup was only half eaten. He scooped it up, throwing his tea in the trash. It, too, was only half consumed, but it was rather cold now.

He forked fruit into his mouth as he and Draco scurried out the door.

They took the elevator down together silently, as Harry scarfed down his melon and berry mix. Draco chuckled at Harry's slurping and stepped out onto his floor.

"Perhaps we could have coffee again, sometime." He offered as the gate began to close.

"Monday?"

"See you then," and he slipped out of sight.