QL Prophet's Friendly Face. Pride, beater 2.

Written for: Crissie (SecretFanFicLover)

Prompt: Drarry, Date night.

Word Count: 1069

Warnings: Drarry.

Beta'ed by: DinoDina, CupCakeyyy, CypressWand.

Harry took a nervous breath as he redid his tie for the third time, it just wasn't working. This was going to be the first official 'Date Night' between him and Draco since they started dating about two months ago. The two of them had gone out on casual and spontaneous dates. But this time, Draco was planning a date for the two of them and Harry had no clue what to expect.

Would he live up to the expectation of a real date? Draco had simply said 'formal attire'. That could mean anything! Draco's wardrobe was practically built for formal use. Harry's, on the other hand, was not.

Hermione had tried to calm his nerves and had even gone shopping with him for the formal robes he was currently wearing. He bought two, one black and the other a very dark grey. Harry had been tempted to just wear his old Yule Ball robes, which would be easy enough to adjust, he wasn't sure if that would send the right message.

Running a hand through his messy hair, which had been brushed already today, Harry wondered if he should simply cancel the date. Especially as this would be the precedent for all of the rest of their dates. Draco had asked what day he would prefer their regular date night to be and if he wanted it to be weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. Harry hadn't been aware that that was an actual thing.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. That would be Draco picking him up. Harry was only momentarily confused that he was knocking instead of flooing or apparating in but didn't question it as he opened the door.

Draco looked stunning. He was dressed in a silk grey suit that looked to be tailored to him precisely.

"Wow, Potter, you clean up nicely. Is that a new robe?" the blond smirked.

Harry was tempted to deny it but sheepishly nodded.

"Embarrassed?" Draco questioned with disbelief in his eyes.

"Hermione helped me with the shopping," he informed his boyfriend instead of answering the question. "Where are we going?"

Draco smirked at him and held out a hand. "Ready to find out?"

With a breath, Harry stepped out of his apartment before closing and locking the front door. Within a second, everything was sucked in as Draco apparated them to Malfoy Manor.

Confusion set on Harry's face as they landed outside of the front door. It was easily recognisable but Harry hadn't been here since it had been overrun by Death Eaters. Draco had said he was redecorating but what he had done was incredible.

At first, Harry was curious why Draco didn't just sell the Manor, but he was attached to it. Harry had never had that and slowly came to realise it would be like selling Hogwarts. It was home.

The exterior showed that no construction work had been done, however, the outside had been cleaned. It was no longer that dark, dreary manor, but a shiny black-stoned building.

The large and uninviting gate surrounding it had been removed and replaced with an elegant black and slick fence which looked low enough to jump over. However, Harry knew they'd be a protection shield that would stop any unwanted visitors.

"I wanted our first date to be here in hopes that you would be comfortable coming over," Draco explained after giving Harry a few moments to take everything in.

Harry gave his boyfriend's hand a squeeze, pulling him closer for a chaste kiss on the lips. "I think that's a great idea."

Draco's lips curled up into a smile. It looked more natural on his face than a smirk in Harry's opinion. "Care for a tour?"

"It would be my pleasure."

Draco had freshened everything up in his home. Even though it had just been a paint job and massive cleanup, he had managed to return the life back to the Manor. There wasn't much colour but enough to make the place feel lived in, just like an actual home.

They finished their tour in the dining room where the large table had been taken out and replaced with a small table that would only fit six. It looked strange in this room.

"I'm still working out how to redecorate here," Draco admitted.

Harry looked around the crisp white walls, stainless steel chandelier, and silver curtains. It had a completely different feel than the room that Harry knew to be the one where Hermione had been tortured. The smaller oak table stood out the most, being the only piece of furniture in the room, barring the chairs. "We can work that out together."

Another genuine smile from Draco.

The two of them sat down and an elf brought out a starter for their dinner. Olives. It was an interesting choice to Harry but one he didn't verbalise, however, he did mention the house elf.

"You still own elves?"

Draco tensed ever so slightly at the tone; it wasn't as light as it had been moments ago. "Welmy is a free elf who works here voluntarily and is paid. So do Polkie and Nomsy." His voice had closed off.

Harry nodded. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine," he interrupted.

A tense silence filled the air. Neither of them spoke for several minutes as they slowly began to eat the olives.

Seeming to know that they had to talk about the subject at some point, Draco broke the silence and spoke first. "There's a lot of history between us. Most of it isn't good. I always want you to speak your mind and I will do my best to be honest." He paused. "I want us to work. But I've never chosen a partner for myself. My parents had given me options of who to pursue. None of them Gryffindor, none of them male, and all of them Purebloods. I'm out of my depth here."

A sudden realisation hit Harry. "Is that why you knocked on my door instead of apparating straight in?" Without waiting for an answer, Harry continued: "I just want you to be you. That's who I fell for."

Draco nodded.

The pair relaxed and linked hands.

It might not have been the perfect first date, but it was a start. It took a few more months before both of them were comfortable with date night, however, and until then, they found simply hanging out together was more natural and developed their relationship quickly.

The End