Harry never imagined he would be inviting Malfoy out to eat. In fact, he thought seeing the blonde would make him want to punch him in the face, especially after seeing him almost blast that muggle with magic.
But something was completely off about Malfoy. It was a hopelessness that didn't compare to what he looked like during the war. There wasn't fear in his eyes like he had when Voldemort had been staying in his house. The raw panic the blonde had in his eyes when Bellatrix asked him to confirm whether the jinxed Harry was truly who they thought he was.
It was nothing like that. That was life and death. This however was different, more subdued and vulnerable.
It goes without saying that he didn't even realize the word 'thankyou' existed in the blonde's vocabulary.
Could it be the fact that he was heartbroken over that engagement having ended? He remembered the seething rage in his eyes when he mentioned his ex and Harry realized that there wasn't a sliver of affection for that person. He doubted there ever was, but maybe that was just because he couldn't picture Draco Malfoy genuinely caring for anyone.
So why did he suddenly seem to be doing things so out of character like willingly remaining within the muggle world, with him of all people?
For the first time in his life, out of every time that Malfoy had caught his attention, Harry couldn't say that Malfoy seemed to be up to anything this time. And that seemed so strange to him that Harry felt he had to look into it some more.
"So, what are you in the mood for? Want to go get a pizza?" He asked, knowing well enough that Malfoy very likely had no clue what a pizza was.
"Have a what?" Malfoy asked glaring at him.
"It's muggle food. I recommend it."
"Yes, well your taste is not something I'd likely agree with." God, he was such an asshole.
"What do you want? There's plenty of foods to choose from here in the West End. Want to go to China town?" He asked. Malfoy looked too bewildered to answer. "Fine, I'll choose. Um… sushi, sushi sounds good. It's poncy enough for you and delicious enough for me."
"What's sushi?"
"It's Japanese food. It's raw fish, but delicious." Harry pulled him along.
Malfoy stopped. "No. Can't."
"You can't?" Harry laughed looking back at him and the laugh stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Malfoy looking embarrassed. No, not embarrassed. He looked completely destroyed.
"Meat. I'll eat very well-cooked meat. Something nutritious, healthy." Malfoy said.
Harry tried to think. If Malfoy was worried about his weight, then where could he take him? Besides, he could have sworn Malfoy once kicked up a fuss in the great hall because the beef was well-done rather than medium-rare, how he supposedly liked it.
They ended up in a place that made steaks. "You want wine?" Harry asked. Malfoy looked at the wine menu longingly.
"No… can't." He said and just like that ordered sparkling water, which Harry found even stranger.
How did Malfoy always manage to spark his interest one way or another? It couldn't be his radiant personality because it was the ugliest thing the guy had. As they took their order they sat in silence and Harry just watched him. He seemed so deep in thought that he didn't even seem to realize that they weren't at each other's throats.
"You running away or something?" He asked. Malfoy looked up at him shocked as if he'd forgotten he was there.
"You wouldn't understand, Potter." He sighed deeply and his face dropped into his hand. "Merlin, why me?" He mumbled out loud. He looked up at him as if considering something. "You know about the muggle world." He pointed out.
"You could say that." Harry shrugged.
"Would you consider assisting me in procuring a residence in the muggle world?" He asked. "I'll compensate you for your efforts, of course."
Harry stared at him for a long time. "You really are running away. Why? Because of some idiot?"
"Do you have any idea the level of humiliation I have suffered? Or the impact our family name has taken because of me?"
"I don't think getting cheated on dragged your family's name any lower than their actions before they absconded did." Harry said.
"I will soon have a younger sibling. My father made it very clear that if the child was born a male he would be made the Malfoy heir if I didn't follow his every command until this mess is cleared up. Unfortunately, something has come up that makes it impossible for me to do what he wants. That is all you need to know at this moment in time. Now, are you going to help me or not?" Malfoy asked.
Harry stared at him for a long time, his brain reeling. The thought of Lucius Malfoy playing the part of father to an innocent child made his stomach queasy, but Malfoy's words even more. He seemed absolutely serious.
"Fine. Question number one, do you have money?" He asked.
Malfoy sneered at him but didn't answer. "For now. I expect my funds will be frozen once my father realizes I'm not going to follow his commands." He mumbled.
"Great, then I guess we go to Gringotts and get whatever you can take out exchanged into muggle money. Enough to last you a year, if you have it. After that, you'll probably have to get a job." Harry said, amused at the thought of seeing Malfoy actually working for money. The blonde seemed as annoyed to hear this as Harry expected, but he simply sighed and nodded.
"Fine." He said. "But what kind of abode can you procure for me?"
"I suppose it depends on how much money you have." The food arrived and Harry picked his utensils. "First, let's eat." He said. In truth, Harry didn´t believe Malfoy would actually do it. Of all people he did not picture Draco Malfoy accepting a life amongst muggles. He didn´t even see him surviving a night. Did the guy even know how to cook?
And yet, they managed to have a lighthearted meal, with healthy amounts of snark, sarcasm and insults appropriate for their relationship until then, but no one stood up and stormed off, though Harry wondered if that was because Malfoy needed him too much to simply leave.
As they made their way to the bank, both their hoods up covering their faces like two shady characters, Harry realized that the only Draco Malfoy he remembered was the one that became so quiet in sixth year. He caught a glimpse of a different Draco when he hesitated to go with Voldemort and only did so to get to his parents. Or when the blonde threw the Elder wand at him during the final fight against Voldemort.
He hadn't seen him after that. He spoke in their trial. He spoke for Mrs. Malfoy and how she saved his life by lying to Voldemort. He spoke for Malfoy, who handed Harry the weapon that killed that monster once and for all. He didn't speak for Lucius Malfoy, who had weaseled out of punishment by giving up all his associates once a deal had been struck.
The warmth of the bank's foyer was very contradictory to the outside chill. Malfoy seemed nervous with every suspicious glance the goblins sent their way.
"I wish to withdraw all contained within the vault for the Malfoy heir and moved to an independent account under my name." Malfoy said. He handed his key and the goblin looked him up and down.
"Hmm… right this way young master Malfoy."
They were taken to a fancy room Harry had never been in and given tea. "Hm… I guess money does talk." Harry said as he dunked a biscuit in the tea and drank the treat that the goblins had never served for anyone else he knew.
"Shh. Stop talking." Malfoy snapped, looking more nervous than angry. "What if they call my father… I'm going to be sick." He mumbled.
"Don't be so dramatic." Harry said but Malfoy did turn pale and closed his eyes. He instinctively reached out to rub his back and Malfoy flinched looking at him like a deer caught in headlights.
Just then a goblin entered, and they both sat up straight to look at him. Harry ate another biscuit and Draco glared at him.
"Mister Malfoy, I have collected the required documents for your transfer." Malfoy took the paperwork and hurried to read it, flicking through everything until he reached a number.
"This isn't everything in my vault, not even close." Malfoy said.
"I'm afraid this is all that can be transferred at one time without the consent of the head of the Malfoy house. I… assume in your condition you do not wish for him to be contacted?"
His condition? Malfoy seemed to know what he was talking about because he shook his head and signed without looking at anything else.
"How much will this be in muggle terms?" He asked.
"Considering the exchange rate and our administration fee, it would be exactly fifty thousand pounds."
Harry did not expect that. That was enough for Malfoy to last about two years, maybe, but this was Draco Malfoy. He did not expect him to have that little money left. It seemed like at the end of the day he was still just a guy with rich parents.
"Is that a lot?" Malfoy turned to look at him when he asked and dear Merlin, why the hell did Harry feel an overwhelming sense of pity for the prat?
"Well… it should be enough for about two years of rent plus food, services, council tax… if you budget properly. " Harry said honestly, looking at the numbers instead of that oddly vulnerable expression Malfoy was allowing to slip through his aristocratic mask.
"I have to budget?" And there was the prat Harry had always known. The disdain and loathing at anything he deemed beneath him, which, unfortunately for Malfoy's personality and anyone that came near him, was anyone that wasn't pureblooded and rich.
He tried to ignore the irritation bubbling. "Yes, of course, you could always run back home, shred up whatever run-away note you left and call upon a house-elf to serve you in your nice warm mansion." Harry said, his tone full of sarcasm.
Malfoy rolled his eyes at Harry's tone and looked back down at the papers the goblins handed him, along with a new key to a volt under his own name.
"This is going to be harder than I thought…" Malfoy whispered out loud, but Harry heard him. Harry could see more and more determination in his face.
"I will say now… you won't even be able to get a place as big as your manor's dining room." Harry kept pointing things out, wondering if Malfoy was really understanding what he was doing. Malfoy may have been second in all classes, after Hermione, but he seemed completely unprepared to take on the world without his parents' backing.
Malfoy took a deep breath with closed eyes as if taking the information in slowly, before nodding. "Fine…"
"And you'll have to learn how to cook for yourself, you won't live off this money for long if you eat out every day." Harry said.
"Blast Potter! Must you only look on the negative?" Malfoy demanded.
"I'm making sure you're aware of how different living in the muggle world will be." Harry said plainly. "There aren't house elves running around out there, you know?"
"Fine but… just give me a moment to process…" Harry watched Malfoy think for a long time. Harry sat in silence. The goblins had left them alone after handing Malfoy the finalized paperwork and his key, and left a fresh pot of tea and biscuits. Even if Malfoy was clearly cutting himself off from his family, the goblins' treatment of him didn't change just yet. Harry dared to take another biscuit and ate it as quietly as possible while Malfoy got lost in his thoughts. He looked up at him annoyed at what was clearly too loud munching.
"What?"
"Nothing… you're just irritating." Harry ignored the urge to punch him and leave him to his own devices.
"Pardon me, your ex-lordship." Harry mocked with the same over-the-top posh accent Malfoy always used. "Shall we go? Before your father really does find out?" Harry asked and that seemed to throw Malfoy out of whatever train of thought he'd been riding. He stood up instantly as if alarmed, only to swoon. Harry reached out before he knew what he was doing and caught Malfoy before he hit the floor. "What the-?" He lowered him onto the ground, holding his shoulders up, cradling his head.
"Oi… Malfoy…" Harry slapped him softly on the face, which led to Malfoy groaning and opening his eyes. "Oh, you're back." Malfoy didn't push him away which only told Harry that he was still dizzy.
"Nnh… did I faint?" Malfoy asked.
"Yes, you did. That a new thing you do?" Harry asked as Malfoy just about managed to sit himself up but still remained seated on the lushly carpeted floor.
"I guess it will be… for now." Malfoy grumbled and huffed in frustration. "If you tell anyone about this Potter…" Malfoy warned.
"Like I'm going to tell my friends all about how you fainted into my arms so they can throw me into St. Mungo's for losing my mind." Harry said and slowly helped the blonde back onto his feet.
"Let's get out of here before my father really shows up." Malfoy said and put his hood up over his head.
"You sure you'll be alright?" Harry asked in concern.
"I'll be fine Potter… now… help me find a muggle place to stay the night." Malfoy said.
"Yeah… Might be tricky to find you a place right now, we're going to have to think of an alternative." Harry wondered how much he should charge the blonde for all of this.
