Four Times Harry Ruined Draco's Birthday...and the One Time he Saved it
Title: Four Times Harry Ruined Draco's Birthday...and the One Time he Saved it
Rating: R
Warning(s): Wee mentions of spanking. No actual spanking. Damn it, there should have been spanking.
Word Count: 3,500
Summary: *refers you to title*
Author's notes: Written for capitu's awesome Draco's Birthday Party Challenge. Happy (early) Birthday, Draco!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
Draco’s 21st Birthday:
Five minutes.
Draco and twirled a quill in his fingers as his eyes tracked the clock on the wall. Each tick-tock made him sit a little straighter in his seat. Just five more minutes and he could pack up and go home. Not that there was much to do back at his little flat but it was better than spending another birthday hunched over his desk at the Ministry. No, Draco had plans for tonight. A date with a good book and a nice bottle of Merlot would be the perfect way to bring his twentieth year to a close and Draco was looking forward to it.
This birthday would be just perfect and all he had to do was wait another two minutes for freedom.
Just one more minute...
...and stop.
Finally!
“Well, see you tomorrow,” he said to Potter, tossing his quills back in a desk drawer and packing up his briefcase.
His co-worker abandoned the sizable pile of reports on his desk and looked up. “You’re in a hurry,” Potter commented, watching Draco as he stuffed his papers into a briefcase. “Got a hot date lined up?”
Draco smirked. “Something like that.”
Potter’s brow arched down in a frown. He cleared his throat and went back to his papers, scratching at them a little viciously with his quill. “Anyone I know?”
Draco couldn’t resist playing along. Baiting Potter was still one of his favourite pastimes. “Perhaps,” he conceded. “Do you know a Mr Charles Dickens?”
Potter’s head jerked up again and his eyes widened. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “You meant a book.”
If Draco didn’t know better, he’d say Potter looked relieved. That was interesting. He made a mental note to look into that...
...on Monday.
“Well, I hate to run but it is my birthday so...”
Draco nodded a polite farewell and made for the door. He was almost on his way out when suddenly...
“Wait a minute!”
Draco turned as Potter got up from his desk and hurried over. “It’s your birthday?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you say something?” He sounded oddly affronted about it.
Draco blinked in surprise. “I...wasn’t sure it was worth mentioning.”
Was it?
Potter gaped at him. “Of course it’s worth mentioning!” he retorted indignantly. “For Merlin’s sake, it’s your birthday! Happy Birthday, Malfoy.”
Draco wasn’t entirely sure what to make of his colleague’s sudden bout of enthusiasm. Who knew Potter got in such a state over birthdays? Eventually, he rallied himself and offered the obligatory polite response to Potter’s vociferous wishes. “Thank you, Potter. So, I’ll see you Monday then...”
Yet again, he was thwarted. “Oh no,” Potter said firmly, snagging his arm and pulling him back. “No way am I letting you go home to read on your birthday. That’s just sad.” Draco bristled indignantly but Potter was already on a roll. “We’re going out,” he announced excitedly. “There’s a great little Karaoke Bar right next to the Ministry phone booth exit! It’ll be brilliant!”
Wait, what? But Draco already had plans! Good plans!
“Potter, I appreciate it but...”
“Oi!” Potter bellowed, poking his head outside the office. “Did you lot know it’s Malfoy’s birthday?”
Draco cringed in embarrassment as assorted faces swivelled around and settled on him.
“It is?” Weasley spoke up. “Happy birthday, Ferret.”
“Many Happy Returns, Malfoy,” Longbottom offered as well.
The tide of greetings swelled around him and Draco tried his best to nod along politely. If he just held out a bit longer, he could probably still make it home and...
“So, how are we celebrating?” Longbottom asked.
Potter clapped Draco’s back, coincidentally keeping him from making a break for the Floo. “Karaoke night!” he declared cheerfully. “Pack up, you lot! We’re leaving in ten!”
Thirty minutes later, Draco had been deposited on a barstool in a dingy little pub. He scowled sullenly into a pint of beer as Blaise and Weasley warbled on stage about ‘wanting it that way’. He wasn’t even going to ask how Potter had managed to procure his friends for this unwarranted outing but no matter how he looked at it, Draco was now hosting a party of twenty five instead of spending an evening curled up on his couch.
“Best party ever!” Pansy chirped. Draco cringed as she pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “Happy birthday, darling!”
“Six- no, seven- bottles of Ogden’s!” Theo staggered over to the bar and placed his imperious order. “Put it on the birthday boy’s tab.”
Oh, for Merlin’s sake...
“Having fun, Malfoy?”
Draco raised an eyebrow as Potter tumbled into a stool next to him. Pansy giggled, shot him a conspiring wink and ambled off. Draco had a feeling he was missing something here.
“Fan-bloody-tastic, Potter,” he sighed. “I was going to go home and unwind a bit but watching Blaise and Weasley getting kicked off the stage is just so much better.”
“Oh, come on,” Potter protested. “You can sit at home any day. Your birthday is special.”
Draco had half a mind to make a scathing retort- something about how it was his birthday and he could veg out if he wanted to- but Potter was looking at him with such huge, hopeful green eyes. Like the only thing he wanted in the world was to know Draco was having a good time on his birthday.
Bloody brilliant.
“You’re right,” Draco conceded, trying not to sound too grudging about it. “Thank you, Potter. I’m having a great time, honest.”
Potter beamed and Draco could have sworn it lit up the dingy little pub a bit. He suppressed a smile of his own and went back to his drink. Trust Potter to be ridiculously endearing even when he had just singlehandedly ruined Draco’s entire evening.
Some days you just couldn’t win.
“Malfoy?”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Potter bit his lip uncertainly and ran an awkward hand through his hair, messing it up even more than usual. Draco’s fingers twitched and he had to actively resist the urge to smooth it back. Then Potter turned on the crup eyes again and Draco just knew he was beaten.
Some days you just couldn’t win.
“Pick me up at eight,” he replied, returning back to his drink. From the corner of his eye, he could just make out Potter’s wide grin. Draco couldn’t help it. He smiled too.
****
Draco’s 22nd Birthday:
Draco came home from a long day at the office to the unmistakable scent of frosting and baked goodness. He grinned and shucked his coat in a corner, sauntering over to the kitchen.
Harry was clearly hard at work seeing that he hadn’t even noticed his boyfriend’s entrance. He was busy stirring and folding and preheating. Draco’s grin widened as he leaned indolently against the door, watching Harry’s domestic side with interest. The apron didn’t hurt either. When Harry bent over to put his handiwork in the oven, Draco couldn’t resist speaking up.
“Happy Birthday to me.”
Harry squawked and whirled around. The alarm gave way to a welcoming smile as soon as he caught sight of Draco.
“You’re home early,” he murmured, pulling Draco over for a kiss. Draco indulged himself with a taste of Harry and chocolate - possibly his favourite combination in the world. He looped his arms around Harry’s neck to deepen the kiss.
“I had to make sure you weren’t bringing the house down,” he said when Harry finally allowed him to break away. Draco took a moment to take in the chaos that was his kitchen. “Have you been baking all day?”
Harry hummed in agreement and nuzzled against his neck. “Wanted to make you a cake,” he mumbled. “And I had to set up for the party.”
The party?
Draco suppressed a groan of dismay. As touching as Harry’s exuberance was, he had been hoping to just kick back and relax this time. Apparently, they were having a party instead. Why wasn’t he surprised?
He would never understand why Harry insisted on making such a big deal over the whole birthday thing. It was unbelievably sweet but honestly, all Draco wanted was to spend the day in bed with his boyfriend.
His sweet, sexy boyfriend who was currently clad in an apron, with chocolate icing smeared across his cheek and icing sugar dusting his lips.
Draco may or may not have been operating on autopilot after that. All he knew was that in less than ten seconds, Harry’s hands were kneading his arse as he ground their bodies together while Draco busied himself with licking chocolate icing off every accessible part of Harry’s body.
“Yes.”
Harry’s hiss went straight to his cock and Draco moaned his agreement, snaking a questing hand under that apron to cup...
“Draco, darling? Are you in there? I thought I heard some nois-oh!”
Harry froze and Draco sprang off him like he’d been burned. He whirled around and a flush of abject mortification crept up his neck. His parents stood in the doorway, gaping at the two of them.
Oh Merlin, no.
“Well, this is...” Narcissa cleared her throat and pointedly averted her gaze, a light blush tinting her pale cheeks. Draco fought the urge to just barricade himself in the bedroom and let Harry handle this. The only thing that held him back was the realisation that that plan of action would probably end with the house coming down around them.
“We just dropped by to wish you a Happy Birthday, dearest,” his mother finished finally. “I didn’t realise you’d be...ahem, occupied.”
Lucius however, looked close to livid. “You!” he snarled, pointing an imperious finger at Harry. “How dare you take advantage of my son? On his birthday, no less! Have you no decency, Potter?”
“Hey!” Harry piped up indignantly.
“Now, Lucius,” Narcissa chided. “We talked about this.”
“But Cissa...”
“If anything, he was taking advantage of me!” Harry protested hotly.
Draco cringed so violently, he thought his insides probably rearranged themselves.
“Oh.” Lucius cocked his head, considering that. “In that case...well done, Draco.”
He was going to die of mortification, he just knew it.
“Hey!” Harry shrilled again, apparently offended. “I’ll have you know I’ve taken advantage of him too! Lots and lots of times!”
“I’m sure you have, Mr Potter,” Narcissa placated soothingly, even as her husband sputtered in sheer outrage.
“That does it!” Lucius hissed. “I’m calling the Aurors!”
“We are the Aurors!” Harry contested.
“And we are leaving,” Narcissa announced, taking her apoplectic husband’s arm and leading him out firmly. “Come, Lucius. Draco is clearly having a perfectly lovely time on his birthday. We’ll stop by later. Now let’s see about getting you a Calming Potion, shall we? That’s it, darling. Breathe in, breathe out...”
Draco waited until mother’s calming voice faded away. Then he staggered against a counter and buried his face in his hands. He didn’t emerge until he felt a tentative tap on his shoulder.
“Cheer up,” Harry said. “We’ll still have fun at your birthday party.”
Draco groaned and hid in his hands again. “Next time,” he muttered. “Let’s just go out to a nice dinner, okay?”
****
Draco’s 23rd birthday:
And that’s why when exactly a year later, Draco found himself outside a ritzy restaurant in Diagon Alley, standing between his furious boyfriend and an equally affronted Maître d, he really had no one to blame but himself.
“No, you don’t understand!” Harry snapped, glaring at his checklist wielding nemesis. “I made that reservation weeks ago!”
“Monsieur, I assure you,” the maître d replied, sounding rather bored of the whole thing. “If you ‘ad made ze reservation, we would ‘ave it here. But we don’t. So it ees clear what ze problem is, non?”
Draco sighed in defeat. There was no way they were getting in. “Harry, let’s just...”
“Yeah, it is clear what the problem is,” Harry railed on. “You’re incompetent, unprofessional and if the food in there is even half as overdone as your accent, I wouldn’t want to eat here anyway!”
Oh, one step too far.
“Zat is magnifique!” was the scathing reply. “Because you will never see ze inside of zis establishment while I ‘av something to say about eet! Au revoir!”
And slam went the door.
“Well, that was interesting,” Draco drawled, taking a seething Harry’s hand and leading him away before he resorted to Blasting Hexes. “Shall we just chalk this one up to bad luck and go home? Maybe salvage the evening with some music and wine?”
Honestly, there was nothing he’d like better than that.
“No,” Harry replied stubbornly. “I promised you dinner and you’re getting dinner. It’s your birthday, for Merlin’s sake! We just need to improvise.”
“But I just want to...”
Harry’s eyes widened as he caught sight of a sign across the road. “Yes!” he cheered, grabbing Draco’s hand and pulling him over. “That’s perfect!”
Ten minutes later, Draco had a pint of Butterbeer in his hand and a plate of fish and chips in front of him. The din of the Leaky Cauldron made any attempt at conversation absolutely impossible and he was accidentally shoved and pushed so many times that he ended up with tartar sauce down his front and spilled Butterbeer all over his new trousers.
It would seem that birthdays got worse with every passing year.
But then Harry smiled, leaned over to kiss him and murmur ‘Happy Birthday’ in his ear again. Draco gave himself over to the sweet kiss and decided that even the worst birthdays could be salvaged...
...right before someone accidentally pushed them again, sending Draco’s elbow right into the tartar sauce.
****
Draco’s 24th Birthday:
This would be the one, Draco decided with no small amount of determination. This was the birthday where nothing- absolutely nothing- would go pear shaped.
Either that or it would be his last.
It had been a rough few weeks at the office. The Aurors had been running around the clock, trying to figure out how to intercept the underground potions smuggling ring that had cropped up in Knockturn Alley. It had almost culminated in a near disaster when a raid went awry, but Harry and his field team had managed to get there in the nick of time to nab the main suspect. It would have been a major step up in the operation, had the man deigned to speak to the Aurors. Unfortunately, the suspect was tenacious and tight lipped and perhaps even more unfortunately, Draco was the Auror in charge of the interrogation.
Being around a surly, taciturn criminal eight hours a day was doing nothing for his stress levels and by the time Draco’s shift ended on the eve of his birthday, all he wanted to do was go home and crash. He was high strung and his nerves were fried but at least he didn’t have to deal with a party this time. Harry had promised to hold off on doing anything fancy tonight. He had even given Draco a cheeky wink which one would assume, meant that a little private celebration might be in the cards.
It was just what Draco needed.
He heaved a sigh of relief and opened the door to his flat. He halted as he realised how dark it was. The lights were out. Draco frowned. The nervous tic in his eye made an unexpected comeback. There wasn’t a sound from inside. Harry should have been home. Not liking any of this, Draco slipped a wand in his hand and stepped inside...
“Surprise!”
It all happened in a split second. Draco responded to all his Auror training by casting an immediate Stupefy in the direction of the attack cry and following it up with an instant Lumos.
The lights went on and he stopped in his tracks as Weasley went flying to the other end of the room, crashing right into Blaise, who howled and grabbed hold of Granger as he joined Weasley on the floor. She shrieked as she skidded, pulling out her wand in the process- presumably to try some damage control. Unfortunately, her spell work went awry and she ended up casting an Incendio which caught on the myriad streamers and paper plates.
Draco watched in mounting horror as the fire flared to life. Just as he was about to cast an Aguamenti, the fire spells warded around the flat went off.
Draco sighed and pocketed his wand as the sprinkler system activated, summarily dousing everyone. Shrieks of dismay sounded all around him and he rubbed his temples, trying to will away the headache.
When the chaos died down a little and Draco dared to look up, the first thing he saw was a drenched Harry holding a soggy cake while their friends took shelter from the pouring ceiling under various surfaces.
“Um, surprise?” Harry mumbled sheepishly.
Draco excused himself and retired to the bedroom without a word. Not surprisingly, Harry spent that night on the couch.
****
Draco’s 25th Birthday:
This time Draco came home early. He was a man on a mission. He didn’t know what Harry was planning this time or how it would go wrong, but he was putting a stop to it.
“Hold it!” he barked, slamming the door open and striding indoors.
Harry whirled around and his eyes widened in surprise. “Hey,” he greeted. “You’re home...”
“Early, I know,” Draco replied flatly. He squared his shoulders and glanced around the flat. Nothing seemed out of order. No streamers, no candles or balloons or any other frivolity. That was certainly a good sign. But knowing Harry, there just had to be something chaotic in store for him on this very special day. Past evidence suggested that it would either incinerate him, have him kicked out of a fancy restaurant or have his parents walk in at an extremely inconvenient time and Draco was just done with it. It was his birthday and Merlin as his witness, it was going to go right this time!
“No,” he stated firmly, pointing a stern finger in Harry’s face.
Harry blinked. “No?”
“No parties, no plans and absolutely no surprises,” Draco rattled off, holding a finger up for each infraction just to drive his point home. “I love you to death, Harry but if you do anything to make my birthday special and memorable again, I will eviscerate you.”
“But...”
“No! Absolutely not! All I want is to have a nice evening with you. Is that too much to ask? Instead, I am subjected to a circus every year and I am not standing for it anymore! I am turning twenty five today and damn it all, I am going to do it with Charles Bloody Dickens and a glass of bloody wine if it’s the last thing you do!”
Harry stood stock still through his tirade, blinking rapidly. “You don’t like spending your birthday with me?” he asked in a small voice. Draco’s ire deflated so fast, he actually felt it escape him. Harry stared at him with wide, hurt eyes and Draco winced in guilt.
“Of course I do,” he said, approaching Harry and stroking his hair back. “I love you and I love that you go through all this trouble for my birthday. I love spending my birthday and every other day of my life with you. Even if it doesn’t turn out the way I expected. You have to know that.”
Harry’s shoulders relaxed and he curled against Draco. “So you’re not angry with me?” he asked hopefully.
“No. Merlin, no,” Draco murmured, dropping a kiss in his hair. “I just want to spend time with you. That’s all- just you and me, together and doing nothing in particular. That’s all I want for this birthday, Harry. Just you.”
“Oh,” Harry murmured. Draco thought he felt a smile against his neck. “That’s good,” Harry added, tightening the embrace a bit. “Because you’re all I want on your birthday too.”
“So, how about it?” Draco asked. “No parties or having people over. Let’s just have a quiet night inside and relax.”
Harry smiled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. “I think that’s a brilliant idea,” he said. “And just so you know, that’s exactly what I planned for us today.”
Draco grinned and kissed his forehead. “It sounds wonderful. Thank you, Harry.”
Harry disentangled himself and gave Draco a gentle push towards the bedroom. “Why don’t you go inside and get started on that relaxing? I’ll just...um, check something and be there in a minute, yeah?”
Draco offered no protests to that and headed to the bedroom. Harry waited until he was out of sight before hurrying over to the coat closet and wrenching it open.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, fidgeting awkwardly. “So there’s been a slight change of plans.”
“Oh, come on!” Theo grumbled, shifting the cake a bit. Pansy squeaked in outrage as she got some icing on her dress and huddled over to Blaise’s side instead.
“But we went through all this trouble,” Blaise protested. Admittedly, his glare would have had more of an effect if he hadn’t been wearing a party hat.
“And we came prepared!” Ron added, holding up a fire extinguisher.
“Right, and that’s all brilliant,” Harry agreed. “But it’s Draco’s birthday and he wants out. So no, we’re not doing a big thing this year.”
“No party?” Pansy pouted.
“No party,” Harry confirmed. “Now, can everyone just...you know, get out of my closet?”
“But...”
“Harry.” Draco’s voice came from the bedroom. “If you’re done kicking our friends out, can we get on with the celebration? Unless of course, you want them to stick around for the Birthday Spanking...”
Ron retched, Theo huddled against the shoe rack and Pansy clapped her hands in delight. Harry however, swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat and fixed the lot of them with steely eyed resolve.
“Get out. Get out now or I’ll make you.”
And with that, he bolted for the bedroom, put up six different Locking Charms and went about celebrating Draco’s birthday just the way they liked it.
And for once, it was a very Happy Birthday indeed.
Rating: R
Warning(s): Wee mentions of spanking. No actual spanking. Damn it, there should have been spanking.
Word Count: 3,500
Summary: *refers you to title*
Author's notes: Written for capitu's awesome Draco's Birthday Party Challenge. Happy (early) Birthday, Draco!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
Draco’s 21st Birthday:
Five minutes.
Draco and twirled a quill in his fingers as his eyes tracked the clock on the wall. Each tick-tock made him sit a little straighter in his seat. Just five more minutes and he could pack up and go home. Not that there was much to do back at his little flat but it was better than spending another birthday hunched over his desk at the Ministry. No, Draco had plans for tonight. A date with a good book and a nice bottle of Merlot would be the perfect way to bring his twentieth year to a close and Draco was looking forward to it.
This birthday would be just perfect and all he had to do was wait another two minutes for freedom.
Just one more minute...
...and stop.
Finally!
“Well, see you tomorrow,” he said to Potter, tossing his quills back in a desk drawer and packing up his briefcase.
His co-worker abandoned the sizable pile of reports on his desk and looked up. “You’re in a hurry,” Potter commented, watching Draco as he stuffed his papers into a briefcase. “Got a hot date lined up?”
Draco smirked. “Something like that.”
Potter’s brow arched down in a frown. He cleared his throat and went back to his papers, scratching at them a little viciously with his quill. “Anyone I know?”
Draco couldn’t resist playing along. Baiting Potter was still one of his favourite pastimes. “Perhaps,” he conceded. “Do you know a Mr Charles Dickens?”
Potter’s head jerked up again and his eyes widened. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “You meant a book.”
If Draco didn’t know better, he’d say Potter looked relieved. That was interesting. He made a mental note to look into that...
...on Monday.
“Well, I hate to run but it is my birthday so...”
Draco nodded a polite farewell and made for the door. He was almost on his way out when suddenly...
“Wait a minute!”
Draco turned as Potter got up from his desk and hurried over. “It’s your birthday?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you say something?” He sounded oddly affronted about it.
Draco blinked in surprise. “I...wasn’t sure it was worth mentioning.”
Was it?
Potter gaped at him. “Of course it’s worth mentioning!” he retorted indignantly. “For Merlin’s sake, it’s your birthday! Happy Birthday, Malfoy.”
Draco wasn’t entirely sure what to make of his colleague’s sudden bout of enthusiasm. Who knew Potter got in such a state over birthdays? Eventually, he rallied himself and offered the obligatory polite response to Potter’s vociferous wishes. “Thank you, Potter. So, I’ll see you Monday then...”
Yet again, he was thwarted. “Oh no,” Potter said firmly, snagging his arm and pulling him back. “No way am I letting you go home to read on your birthday. That’s just sad.” Draco bristled indignantly but Potter was already on a roll. “We’re going out,” he announced excitedly. “There’s a great little Karaoke Bar right next to the Ministry phone booth exit! It’ll be brilliant!”
Wait, what? But Draco already had plans! Good plans!
“Potter, I appreciate it but...”
“Oi!” Potter bellowed, poking his head outside the office. “Did you lot know it’s Malfoy’s birthday?”
Draco cringed in embarrassment as assorted faces swivelled around and settled on him.
“It is?” Weasley spoke up. “Happy birthday, Ferret.”
“Many Happy Returns, Malfoy,” Longbottom offered as well.
The tide of greetings swelled around him and Draco tried his best to nod along politely. If he just held out a bit longer, he could probably still make it home and...
“So, how are we celebrating?” Longbottom asked.
Potter clapped Draco’s back, coincidentally keeping him from making a break for the Floo. “Karaoke night!” he declared cheerfully. “Pack up, you lot! We’re leaving in ten!”
Thirty minutes later, Draco had been deposited on a barstool in a dingy little pub. He scowled sullenly into a pint of beer as Blaise and Weasley warbled on stage about ‘wanting it that way’. He wasn’t even going to ask how Potter had managed to procure his friends for this unwarranted outing but no matter how he looked at it, Draco was now hosting a party of twenty five instead of spending an evening curled up on his couch.
“Best party ever!” Pansy chirped. Draco cringed as she pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “Happy birthday, darling!”
“Six- no, seven- bottles of Ogden’s!” Theo staggered over to the bar and placed his imperious order. “Put it on the birthday boy’s tab.”
Oh, for Merlin’s sake...
“Having fun, Malfoy?”
Draco raised an eyebrow as Potter tumbled into a stool next to him. Pansy giggled, shot him a conspiring wink and ambled off. Draco had a feeling he was missing something here.
“Fan-bloody-tastic, Potter,” he sighed. “I was going to go home and unwind a bit but watching Blaise and Weasley getting kicked off the stage is just so much better.”
“Oh, come on,” Potter protested. “You can sit at home any day. Your birthday is special.”
Draco had half a mind to make a scathing retort- something about how it was his birthday and he could veg out if he wanted to- but Potter was looking at him with such huge, hopeful green eyes. Like the only thing he wanted in the world was to know Draco was having a good time on his birthday.
Bloody brilliant.
“You’re right,” Draco conceded, trying not to sound too grudging about it. “Thank you, Potter. I’m having a great time, honest.”
Potter beamed and Draco could have sworn it lit up the dingy little pub a bit. He suppressed a smile of his own and went back to his drink. Trust Potter to be ridiculously endearing even when he had just singlehandedly ruined Draco’s entire evening.
Some days you just couldn’t win.
“Malfoy?”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Potter bit his lip uncertainly and ran an awkward hand through his hair, messing it up even more than usual. Draco’s fingers twitched and he had to actively resist the urge to smooth it back. Then Potter turned on the crup eyes again and Draco just knew he was beaten.
Some days you just couldn’t win.
“Pick me up at eight,” he replied, returning back to his drink. From the corner of his eye, he could just make out Potter’s wide grin. Draco couldn’t help it. He smiled too.
****
Draco’s 22nd Birthday:
Draco came home from a long day at the office to the unmistakable scent of frosting and baked goodness. He grinned and shucked his coat in a corner, sauntering over to the kitchen.
Harry was clearly hard at work seeing that he hadn’t even noticed his boyfriend’s entrance. He was busy stirring and folding and preheating. Draco’s grin widened as he leaned indolently against the door, watching Harry’s domestic side with interest. The apron didn’t hurt either. When Harry bent over to put his handiwork in the oven, Draco couldn’t resist speaking up.
“Happy Birthday to me.”
Harry squawked and whirled around. The alarm gave way to a welcoming smile as soon as he caught sight of Draco.
“You’re home early,” he murmured, pulling Draco over for a kiss. Draco indulged himself with a taste of Harry and chocolate - possibly his favourite combination in the world. He looped his arms around Harry’s neck to deepen the kiss.
“I had to make sure you weren’t bringing the house down,” he said when Harry finally allowed him to break away. Draco took a moment to take in the chaos that was his kitchen. “Have you been baking all day?”
Harry hummed in agreement and nuzzled against his neck. “Wanted to make you a cake,” he mumbled. “And I had to set up for the party.”
The party?
Draco suppressed a groan of dismay. As touching as Harry’s exuberance was, he had been hoping to just kick back and relax this time. Apparently, they were having a party instead. Why wasn’t he surprised?
He would never understand why Harry insisted on making such a big deal over the whole birthday thing. It was unbelievably sweet but honestly, all Draco wanted was to spend the day in bed with his boyfriend.
His sweet, sexy boyfriend who was currently clad in an apron, with chocolate icing smeared across his cheek and icing sugar dusting his lips.
Draco may or may not have been operating on autopilot after that. All he knew was that in less than ten seconds, Harry’s hands were kneading his arse as he ground their bodies together while Draco busied himself with licking chocolate icing off every accessible part of Harry’s body.
“Yes.”
Harry’s hiss went straight to his cock and Draco moaned his agreement, snaking a questing hand under that apron to cup...
“Draco, darling? Are you in there? I thought I heard some nois-oh!”
Harry froze and Draco sprang off him like he’d been burned. He whirled around and a flush of abject mortification crept up his neck. His parents stood in the doorway, gaping at the two of them.
Oh Merlin, no.
“Well, this is...” Narcissa cleared her throat and pointedly averted her gaze, a light blush tinting her pale cheeks. Draco fought the urge to just barricade himself in the bedroom and let Harry handle this. The only thing that held him back was the realisation that that plan of action would probably end with the house coming down around them.
“We just dropped by to wish you a Happy Birthday, dearest,” his mother finished finally. “I didn’t realise you’d be...ahem, occupied.”
Lucius however, looked close to livid. “You!” he snarled, pointing an imperious finger at Harry. “How dare you take advantage of my son? On his birthday, no less! Have you no decency, Potter?”
“Hey!” Harry piped up indignantly.
“Now, Lucius,” Narcissa chided. “We talked about this.”
“But Cissa...”
“If anything, he was taking advantage of me!” Harry protested hotly.
Draco cringed so violently, he thought his insides probably rearranged themselves.
“Oh.” Lucius cocked his head, considering that. “In that case...well done, Draco.”
He was going to die of mortification, he just knew it.
“Hey!” Harry shrilled again, apparently offended. “I’ll have you know I’ve taken advantage of him too! Lots and lots of times!”
“I’m sure you have, Mr Potter,” Narcissa placated soothingly, even as her husband sputtered in sheer outrage.
“That does it!” Lucius hissed. “I’m calling the Aurors!”
“We are the Aurors!” Harry contested.
“And we are leaving,” Narcissa announced, taking her apoplectic husband’s arm and leading him out firmly. “Come, Lucius. Draco is clearly having a perfectly lovely time on his birthday. We’ll stop by later. Now let’s see about getting you a Calming Potion, shall we? That’s it, darling. Breathe in, breathe out...”
Draco waited until mother’s calming voice faded away. Then he staggered against a counter and buried his face in his hands. He didn’t emerge until he felt a tentative tap on his shoulder.
“Cheer up,” Harry said. “We’ll still have fun at your birthday party.”
Draco groaned and hid in his hands again. “Next time,” he muttered. “Let’s just go out to a nice dinner, okay?”
****
Draco’s 23rd birthday:
And that’s why when exactly a year later, Draco found himself outside a ritzy restaurant in Diagon Alley, standing between his furious boyfriend and an equally affronted Maître d, he really had no one to blame but himself.
“No, you don’t understand!” Harry snapped, glaring at his checklist wielding nemesis. “I made that reservation weeks ago!”
“Monsieur, I assure you,” the maître d replied, sounding rather bored of the whole thing. “If you ‘ad made ze reservation, we would ‘ave it here. But we don’t. So it ees clear what ze problem is, non?”
Draco sighed in defeat. There was no way they were getting in. “Harry, let’s just...”
“Yeah, it is clear what the problem is,” Harry railed on. “You’re incompetent, unprofessional and if the food in there is even half as overdone as your accent, I wouldn’t want to eat here anyway!”
Oh, one step too far.
“Zat is magnifique!” was the scathing reply. “Because you will never see ze inside of zis establishment while I ‘av something to say about eet! Au revoir!”
And slam went the door.
“Well, that was interesting,” Draco drawled, taking a seething Harry’s hand and leading him away before he resorted to Blasting Hexes. “Shall we just chalk this one up to bad luck and go home? Maybe salvage the evening with some music and wine?”
Honestly, there was nothing he’d like better than that.
“No,” Harry replied stubbornly. “I promised you dinner and you’re getting dinner. It’s your birthday, for Merlin’s sake! We just need to improvise.”
“But I just want to...”
Harry’s eyes widened as he caught sight of a sign across the road. “Yes!” he cheered, grabbing Draco’s hand and pulling him over. “That’s perfect!”
Ten minutes later, Draco had a pint of Butterbeer in his hand and a plate of fish and chips in front of him. The din of the Leaky Cauldron made any attempt at conversation absolutely impossible and he was accidentally shoved and pushed so many times that he ended up with tartar sauce down his front and spilled Butterbeer all over his new trousers.
It would seem that birthdays got worse with every passing year.
But then Harry smiled, leaned over to kiss him and murmur ‘Happy Birthday’ in his ear again. Draco gave himself over to the sweet kiss and decided that even the worst birthdays could be salvaged...
...right before someone accidentally pushed them again, sending Draco’s elbow right into the tartar sauce.
****
Draco’s 24th Birthday:
This would be the one, Draco decided with no small amount of determination. This was the birthday where nothing- absolutely nothing- would go pear shaped.
Either that or it would be his last.
It had been a rough few weeks at the office. The Aurors had been running around the clock, trying to figure out how to intercept the underground potions smuggling ring that had cropped up in Knockturn Alley. It had almost culminated in a near disaster when a raid went awry, but Harry and his field team had managed to get there in the nick of time to nab the main suspect. It would have been a major step up in the operation, had the man deigned to speak to the Aurors. Unfortunately, the suspect was tenacious and tight lipped and perhaps even more unfortunately, Draco was the Auror in charge of the interrogation.
Being around a surly, taciturn criminal eight hours a day was doing nothing for his stress levels and by the time Draco’s shift ended on the eve of his birthday, all he wanted to do was go home and crash. He was high strung and his nerves were fried but at least he didn’t have to deal with a party this time. Harry had promised to hold off on doing anything fancy tonight. He had even given Draco a cheeky wink which one would assume, meant that a little private celebration might be in the cards.
It was just what Draco needed.
He heaved a sigh of relief and opened the door to his flat. He halted as he realised how dark it was. The lights were out. Draco frowned. The nervous tic in his eye made an unexpected comeback. There wasn’t a sound from inside. Harry should have been home. Not liking any of this, Draco slipped a wand in his hand and stepped inside...
“Surprise!”
It all happened in a split second. Draco responded to all his Auror training by casting an immediate Stupefy in the direction of the attack cry and following it up with an instant Lumos.
The lights went on and he stopped in his tracks as Weasley went flying to the other end of the room, crashing right into Blaise, who howled and grabbed hold of Granger as he joined Weasley on the floor. She shrieked as she skidded, pulling out her wand in the process- presumably to try some damage control. Unfortunately, her spell work went awry and she ended up casting an Incendio which caught on the myriad streamers and paper plates.
Draco watched in mounting horror as the fire flared to life. Just as he was about to cast an Aguamenti, the fire spells warded around the flat went off.
Draco sighed and pocketed his wand as the sprinkler system activated, summarily dousing everyone. Shrieks of dismay sounded all around him and he rubbed his temples, trying to will away the headache.
When the chaos died down a little and Draco dared to look up, the first thing he saw was a drenched Harry holding a soggy cake while their friends took shelter from the pouring ceiling under various surfaces.
“Um, surprise?” Harry mumbled sheepishly.
Draco excused himself and retired to the bedroom without a word. Not surprisingly, Harry spent that night on the couch.
****
Draco’s 25th Birthday:
This time Draco came home early. He was a man on a mission. He didn’t know what Harry was planning this time or how it would go wrong, but he was putting a stop to it.
“Hold it!” he barked, slamming the door open and striding indoors.
Harry whirled around and his eyes widened in surprise. “Hey,” he greeted. “You’re home...”
“Early, I know,” Draco replied flatly. He squared his shoulders and glanced around the flat. Nothing seemed out of order. No streamers, no candles or balloons or any other frivolity. That was certainly a good sign. But knowing Harry, there just had to be something chaotic in store for him on this very special day. Past evidence suggested that it would either incinerate him, have him kicked out of a fancy restaurant or have his parents walk in at an extremely inconvenient time and Draco was just done with it. It was his birthday and Merlin as his witness, it was going to go right this time!
“No,” he stated firmly, pointing a stern finger in Harry’s face.
Harry blinked. “No?”
“No parties, no plans and absolutely no surprises,” Draco rattled off, holding a finger up for each infraction just to drive his point home. “I love you to death, Harry but if you do anything to make my birthday special and memorable again, I will eviscerate you.”
“But...”
“No! Absolutely not! All I want is to have a nice evening with you. Is that too much to ask? Instead, I am subjected to a circus every year and I am not standing for it anymore! I am turning twenty five today and damn it all, I am going to do it with Charles Bloody Dickens and a glass of bloody wine if it’s the last thing you do!”
Harry stood stock still through his tirade, blinking rapidly. “You don’t like spending your birthday with me?” he asked in a small voice. Draco’s ire deflated so fast, he actually felt it escape him. Harry stared at him with wide, hurt eyes and Draco winced in guilt.
“Of course I do,” he said, approaching Harry and stroking his hair back. “I love you and I love that you go through all this trouble for my birthday. I love spending my birthday and every other day of my life with you. Even if it doesn’t turn out the way I expected. You have to know that.”
Harry’s shoulders relaxed and he curled against Draco. “So you’re not angry with me?” he asked hopefully.
“No. Merlin, no,” Draco murmured, dropping a kiss in his hair. “I just want to spend time with you. That’s all- just you and me, together and doing nothing in particular. That’s all I want for this birthday, Harry. Just you.”
“Oh,” Harry murmured. Draco thought he felt a smile against his neck. “That’s good,” Harry added, tightening the embrace a bit. “Because you’re all I want on your birthday too.”
“So, how about it?” Draco asked. “No parties or having people over. Let’s just have a quiet night inside and relax.”
Harry smiled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. “I think that’s a brilliant idea,” he said. “And just so you know, that’s exactly what I planned for us today.”
Draco grinned and kissed his forehead. “It sounds wonderful. Thank you, Harry.”
Harry disentangled himself and gave Draco a gentle push towards the bedroom. “Why don’t you go inside and get started on that relaxing? I’ll just...um, check something and be there in a minute, yeah?”
Draco offered no protests to that and headed to the bedroom. Harry waited until he was out of sight before hurrying over to the coat closet and wrenching it open.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, fidgeting awkwardly. “So there’s been a slight change of plans.”
“Oh, come on!” Theo grumbled, shifting the cake a bit. Pansy squeaked in outrage as she got some icing on her dress and huddled over to Blaise’s side instead.
“But we went through all this trouble,” Blaise protested. Admittedly, his glare would have had more of an effect if he hadn’t been wearing a party hat.
“And we came prepared!” Ron added, holding up a fire extinguisher.
“Right, and that’s all brilliant,” Harry agreed. “But it’s Draco’s birthday and he wants out. So no, we’re not doing a big thing this year.”
“No party?” Pansy pouted.
“No party,” Harry confirmed. “Now, can everyone just...you know, get out of my closet?”
“But...”
“Harry.” Draco’s voice came from the bedroom. “If you’re done kicking our friends out, can we get on with the celebration? Unless of course, you want them to stick around for the Birthday Spanking...”
Ron retched, Theo huddled against the shoe rack and Pansy clapped her hands in delight. Harry however, swallowed against the sudden dryness in his throat and fixed the lot of them with steely eyed resolve.
“Get out. Get out now or I’ll make you.”
And with that, he bolted for the bedroom, put up six different Locking Charms and went about celebrating Draco’s birthday just the way they liked it.
And for once, it was a very Happy Birthday indeed.