Benefits

Chapter Six

Draco sat up straight when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"You realise you don't have to sleep on the couch, right?" Harry asked; standing behind the couch, his arms crossed in front of his chest almost protectively.

Draco sighed, "you realise you don't have to offer your bed to me, right?" he asked back.

Harry rolled his eyes, "what's the problem with it?" he asked, "Hell, you've already fucked me. Been there, done that. You can't just be sleeping on the couch," Harry said, "come on," he tried to say encouragingly, but it came off awkward still.

"Potter, you don't have to-."

"I sometimes wonder whether or not you know how goddamn infuriating you can be," Harry said, "besides, we're on first name basis now so shut up and get in my bed."

Draco shook his head and sighed moodily before getting up and making his way to Harry's room. Though secretly he was grateful; he'd never been one for sleeping on couches, and while the couch was most definitely comfortable; it felt wrong sleeping on a couch in someone's lounge room. Especially Harry Potter's lounge room; but it might feel even more wrong sleeping in the man's bed.

As he got into the bed, he sensed Harry walking slowly behind him. He decided not to look behind him and just got into the side of the bed that was made.

"You're not used to sleeping alone," Draco muttered, "you're still sleeping on the one side."

"I said get in my bed," Harry said, getting into the bed on the other side he had been sleeping in previously, "not deduct my life."

"My apologies," Draco muttered. He was tired, he yawned loudly and turned his back to Harry and stared at the open doorway through to the lounge room. There was a window just in his perspective and outside he could see a full, breathtakingly beautiful moon.

(***)

When Draco got up in the morning the bed was empty and he could hear talking in the kitchen. He got up slowly, trying to recognise the voices; but having only just woken up; his brain was working to the best of its abilities.

He crept into the kitchen where Harry was hastily talking to an amused looking Ronald Weasley.

"It's not some weird prank Ron," Harry muttered darkly, passing him over a cup of tea, "it's just been happening behind your back for a long time now."

"Yeah, right-," Ron paused and turned his head; obviously having spotted Draco in the corner of his eye. His jaw went slack and he placed the cup full off hot tea on the breakfast bar slowly, "holy shit," he muttered, he turned back to Harry, looking amazed, "you weren't actually kidding, were you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Look, mate-."

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, giving Ron a small smile, "some days I can barely believe it either."

"Can barely believe what?" Draco asked, sitting on the couch in the lounge room again. He didn't want to sit so close to Ron, just in case the redhead suddenly decided he wanted to use Draco as a human punching bag.

"That we're dating," Harry said, busying himself by making another cup of tea. Draco watched, noticing the style in which Harry did it, the two sugars and the small drop of milk; Draco knew immediately that it was for him.

Ron was looking at him, as if waiting for Draco to start laughing hysterically and tell him that it had all been a joke and he couldn't believe that either Hermione or Ron had fallen for it. Instead, he looked at Ron seriously, right into his eyes and said, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people."

Ron snorted and turned back to look at Harry, "okay, maybe you're not kidding," he muttered, "Otherwise you would have killed him by now."

Harry smirked, "oh sometimes I think about it, don't worry about that."

"At least I know you're not completely ill then," Ron said with an amused look, turning back to look at Draco. Draco was surprised to find that Ron's tone wasn't one of completely venomous hatred. It was genuinely playful.

"Sometimes I wonder about my health," Draco muttered as Harry came over and gave him a cup of tea. Harry rolled his eyes, "don't be like that," he muttered, "you don't need to show off in front of Ron; I've already told him you're basically like a life sized teddy bear."

Draco almost choked on the small mouthful of tea he had, his eyes were wide and he looked at Harry with surprise, "excuse me?" he said, his voice sounding hoarse.

Draco slowly began to realise what Harry was doing. Was Harry seriously going to attempt to embarrass him? Really, was this the game he wanted to play?

"I'm hardly a teddy bear," Draco said sounding amused, "compared to you anyway."

Ron raised an eyebrow and Harry looked at him with a look that screamed, 'bring on your worst Malfoy.'

"There was this one time when he was sick," Draco said, "and I came home and he was on the couch and just begging for 'cuddles' he calls them," Draco rolled his eyes, smirking a little as he did so, "he just wouldn't shut up until I complied and by the time I said I needed to make dinner, he just refused to let me go."

Harry knitted his eyebrows together, "Draco-."

"Oh; and the time that he just desperately wanted to try-"

Ron was already in hysterics and Draco hadn't even gotten onto the second false story. Harry stood there, his arms folded across his chest, glaring at him while at the same time looking amused. Draco didn't know whether to continue or just leave it as was.

Ron made the decision for them, fortunately.

"I've got to head to work," Ron said, sounding slightly disappointed as he looked at his watch, "well...kind of work," Ron muttered, "they're letting junior Aurors go on cases today," Ron said, "it should be interesting," he looked at Harry, "are you sure you don't want to be an Auror mate?"

"Completely," Harry said.

"That'll make Hermione's week," Ron said sheepishly. He got up from his barstool and picked up a small briefcase that Draco hadn't even noticed was there, "I might drop by later," Ron said, "if not to come and visit; then to hear more of these hilarious stories about you being a 'teddy bear'," Ron said with a sadist looking grin. Harry rolled his eyes as Ron walked towards the door and waved goodbye to the two of them before leaving the apartment.

"I like Weasley," Draco said, grinning at Harry, "he's gullible enough to believe my bull shit."

"Oh shut up."

(***)

Draco put on his tie with magic, never having been taught to put it on otherwise. Out of all the classy-like things they taught him; which forks go where and what they're used for; how to speak in Latin and French fluently. Everything that could make him somewhat fanciable to a woman (ha, jokes on them) and they couldn't even teach him how to tie a goddamn tie without using magic.

And the worst part was the fact that ninety-nine percent of the time, he screwed it up anyway.

Harry walked into the room while Draco struggled to pull the tie away from his throat. It had tied itself too tightly again and ended up in an unattractive knot. Draco had finally talked to Harry about going to Barnabas's for dinner and Harry had suggested tonight. Draco had written to Barnabas, secretly hoping the man was busy. But alas, no; he and his wife were more than happy to have them over for dinner.

"Here," Harry said, grabbing the tie from Draco's closed fist and doing it for him, "it's really not that hard," he said, barely looking like he was even concentrating as he tied it up and made it look practically perfect.

"How'd you learn?" Draco asked.

"Ron taught me," Harry muttered, "for the first few weeks of school I refused to wear my tie."

Draco snorted, but not mockingly like he normally would. Just generally at the fact that Harry refused to wear a tie for the first few weeks at school. Harry had always broken the rules, but this one seemed much more amusing than the rest of them.

"Eleven year old rebellion," Draco muttered, "the famous Harry Potter never ceases to amaze."

Harry rolled his eyes and pat the tie down onto his shirt instead of leaving it sit awkwardly, "just remember," Harry said, turning around and grabbing his coat, "you embarrass me during this dinner and I embarrass you even more."

Draco nodded, "understood."

Harry put on his coat and turned to him, looking a little nervous yet at the same time determined, "ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

(***)

They sat at the dinner table awkwardly, but Barnabas didn't seem to notice their stiff stances and they're nervous grimaces. Barnabas seemed more than happy to be sitting at the table with them; as if he had mastered some sort of massive feat. Like, he'd won something. Though, Draco doubted that was it; Draco was hardly that valuable. He wouldn't have cared if Draco had been deported to Australia.

"So, Harry?" Barnabas looked at Harry with an almost sadistic grin, "when did you start dating Draco?" he asked.

He could hear Harry swallow nervously. They had gone over their little story about how they had happened to 're-connected' and had slowly become friends, and then something more; but to actually say it out loud in front of outsiders? That was just awkward.

"Well," Harry muttered, he cleared his throat and tried to look Barnabas in the eyes, "I was looking for a roommate," he said; his voice didn't betray any type of nervousness, not the type he had so obviously felt before. Draco was impressed, "and Draco answered and I couldn't think of anyone better really," Harry chuckled, "it would be someone who would happily stay out of my way and just let me do my thing, but it would be extra protection and someone who could keep up with at least half of the rent," he said, "but then slowly we became friends and then..." Harry trailed off and grabbed Draco's hand, which he had purposefully left sitting atop of the table. Harry trailed his thumb softly, lovingly across Draco's knuckles and gave Draco a convincing, loving look, "we became something more," he said at last, turning back to Barnabas, still holding Draco's hand.

Draco was shocked at how real it felt. This had to be fooling Barnabas for sure.

"How lovely," Barnabas said, a big goofy smile on his round face, "which one of you proposed?" he asked, "may I see the ring?"

Draco paused and he felt Harry's thumb freeze over his knuckles.

Draco gave Barnabas a slow, convincing smile, "I didn't get him a ring," Draco muttered, "we didn't want people to know about our relationship yet," Draco looked at Harry for a moment and then turned back to Barnabas, "with Harry still being famous; people would have instantly realised if he suddenly had an engagement ring- they'd start asking questions about it."

Harry nodded, "we weren't ready to be outed," he said, "we don't know how well the wizarding world would take to me dating Draco..." he trailed of slowly.

Draco had to admit; the remark stung a little, but it was true and convincing enough. He stayed silent while he watched Barnabas absorb the information.

The man nodded, "so you proposed Draco?" he asked.

"Yes," Draco said, his smile slowly coming back, "it was last month," he answered Barnabas's unasked question, "we went out to dinner and we were just about to get desert when I asked him to marry me," Draco shrugged as if it were no big deal, which admittedly it wasn't when it was all a bunch of lies, "he said yes and, well..." Draco bit his lip, "we haven't picked when we're getting married, to be honest," he added.

Barnabas looked amused, "you'll find a date shortly," he said, "It comes naturally!"

Barnabas's wife entered the room carrying a bowl of salad whilst three other plates filled with food and four other plates, empty, zoomed behind her magically. As soon as she placed the bowl of salad on the table, the other plates landed gently around it, the empty plates floating and landing gently in front of people.

"Dig in," she said, smiling at both Harry and Draco warmly.

(***)

"Remind me to never fake being in a relationship with someone ever again," Draco muttered, opening the door to Harry's apartment, already comfortable with it temporarily being his own. Harry didn't respond as they walked into the apartment and settled down on the couch. They were both physically and mentally exhausted. They had been asked question, after question, they'd even been asked to answer questions about the other person. It had been alarming, however, to see just how much they actually knew one another.

"At least the food was worth it," Harry muttered, tired and feeling fat after dinner. He'd even had seconds, which was unusual for him.

"Hmm," Draco couldn't help but keep thinking about the remark Harry had made. Though it shouldn't have been a surprise; in the end everyone else thought he was still number one death eater son, that's why he would have been getting deported. All because of his affiliation with 'the dark side,' and it hadn't even been his fault really.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, sounding genuinely worried.

"Yeah," Draco lied, "I'm fine."