"Miracle Drug" cookie #1
Draco can be found at dm1980. Su Li's at androgynous88. The watcher comm. is at blood_of_dragon. Just friend or track the comm. :-)
This cookie should make sense on its own, but this is the H/D-sorta-maybe sequel to “People Like Us.”
Also: Draco-centric drabble, set shortly before "People Like Us."
"Miracle Drug" cookie
Rating: PG-13 for now
Harry's POV, H/D sorta kinda--we'll see. More appropriately: H/D UST
Expected Length: 8,000 words at least *cries*
Disclaimer: The cookie below isn't beta-ed yet. Most likely this will be the opening scene for "Miracle Drug."
ETA 01/29/07: Harry thinks Li is a guy, but the jury's still out on that one :-P
What brought home to Harry that he was in China proper was the absence of fortune cookies. When he expressed confusion about this at dinner, Malfoy exchanged a can-you-believe-this-idiot glance with Su Li before dissolving into gasps of laughter.
Harry would’ve been amused at the pink flush spreading to Malfoy’s ears and neck if not for the fact that Malfoy was laughing at his expense. And then that Ravenclaw Li giggled-giggled!-and asked whether he really thought Confucius wrote, “Do not paint your fortune with puddles.”
He scowled as he waited for the wheezes of laughter to subside. When he accepted this assignment, he didn’t have a rendezvous with his best enemy in mind.
Now here he was, flanked by the two people in the world who thought he was an idiot. He just needed that Hufflepuff Smith and his humiliation would be complete.
“So, Potter.” Malfoy tapped his teacup. “What has our Gryffindor hero been up to lately?”
He had just opened his mouth to answer when Malfoy’s voice droned on, “Kittens to save, babies to kiss, Death Eaters to kill?-Sorry, capture.”
Narrowing his eyes, he answered, “As a matter of fact, my Death Eater-chasing days are over. All the Death Eaters of rank are either dead or under lock and key. Now all that’s left are junior Death Eaters who went into hiding during the Second War.”
Malfoy had the gall to sip his tea as if he didn’t know who Harry was talking about. Harry’s glaring at Malfoy was cut off by a teapot spout in front of his face.
“More tea?” Li smiled and proceeded to spatter Harry’s fingers with scalding tea.
“Sorry about that,” Li said cheerfully as Harry swore. “My hand-eye coordination is terrible. That’s why I never tried out for Quidditch.”
“Such a shame, really,” Malfoy purred. “You have the perfect built for a Seeker.” Li smiled as if Malfoy had made a million-galleon offer.
Disgusted by the display, Harry hurriedly changed the topic. “So how did you two end up in this town anyway?” He had the misfortune of running into them mere hours after he arrived. They were staying at the same hotel he was in-on the same floor, even.
Li, still smiling fixatedly at Malfoy, replied, “Well, Draco here is on an assignment for his investigative company.”
Harry was surprised. “I thought for sure you’re here on Potions business…”
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. “You thought I was brewing illegal Dark potions for the slimy underbellies of the population in Southern China?” A snort. “Hardly.”
Harry shut his mouth, not denying that it was his first suspicion.
“And are you his coworker?” he asked Li.
Both Li and Malfoy chuckled in merriment. “As much as I’d love working with Draco-” Li began. “I’m self-employed.”
Harry translated this as “I’m too much of a prat for anyone to hire me.”
“Li’s here visiting a friend,” Malfoy drawled out the last word. “I quote, ‘The visit is equally for business and for pleasure.’”
Li turned and smiled at Harry, who quickly jerked his cup (and his fingers) away.
“The perks of being self-employed. You can mix business with pleasure anytime without fear of being penalized.”
“And what’s your business? The flesh trade?”
Li’s smile turned sharp. Malfoy, on the other hand, looked highly amused.
“Oh, this is priceless. ‘The flesh trade,’ Potter?” He placed his fingertips on Li’s sleeve and shared a conspirational look.
“Yes, and Cho Chang runs an escort service. The Patil twins are in high demand, haven’t you heard?” Malfoy was seconds away from guffawing now.
Harry clenched his jaw. Trust Malfoy to take every opportunity to mock him. He didn’t know what he was thinking, accepting their invitation to dinner. He’s probably just a convenient target for them to make fun.
Clearing his throat, Li signaled the waiter for their bill.
“Joking aside, Potter, I’m here to see Xiao Yue. Perhaps you remember her from Hogwarts? She moved to China during our Third Year.”
Harry silently shook his head.
“In any case, I’m bringing her new breeds of flowers for her to grow here. That’s how I ran into Draco, actually,” Li turned to Draco with a fond smile.
“That flower nearly castrated me,” Malfoy said in mock horrified tones.
“It’s not nice to lie, Draco,” Li admonished. This somehow caused them to dissolve into laughter. Again.
“Wait-what?” Harry leaned forward in his seat. “You brought magical flowers? Into China?”
The terrible duo stopped laughing and shushed him.
“Perhaps this is not the best place for such conversations, Potter,” Malfoy said in a low tone.
“Not the best place? Not the best place?” Harry exclaimed in a harsh whisper. “Your friend here boarded a Muggle airplane carrying a sentient magical plant. Not only does that constitute a gross violation of the International Statute of Secrecy, it also impinges on the goodwill of the magical community in China.”
“Wow Potter, I’m impressed. I thought Granger’s the only one capable of using big words.”
“Go to hell, Malfoy.”
Li, in the meantime, had taken out several Yuan notes from his wallet. With a charming smile, he told the waiter to keep the change.
“Come on, Potter. You must be tired from your journey. We can continue this conversation tomorrow morning.”
Harry gave a terse nod. He was still annoyed at Li, but it had been a long flight and he was developing a headache from using the Babel Pisces spell for too long.
He stewed in silence as they waited for the lift to arrive. Malfoy looked slightly concerned on Li’s behalf, whereas Li had an infuriating half-smile playing on his lips.
When the elevator arrived, Harry quickly stepped inside and pressed the button to their floor.
“So, Potter. I presume you’re here on Auror business?”
Harry threw a sharp glance at Li. “How did you know?”
“Oh relax, Potter,” Malfoy drawled. He had lost his concerned demeanor and was looking as assured as ever. “Being the good little Gryffindor that you are, you probably had never taken a vacation all your years as an Auror. There’s also the fact that you immediately assumed that we’re involved in some shady business of the questionable legal variety.”
Harry narrowed his eyes. “And considering that your friend here is a smuggler, it seems that my fears are not unfounded.”
The lift dinged to signal their arrival. As they stepped out, Malfoy could be heard muttering about First Year, smuggled broom and preferential treatment.
(Continued here)
This cookie should make sense on its own, but this is the H/D-sorta-maybe sequel to “People Like Us.”
Also: Draco-centric drabble, set shortly before "People Like Us."
"Miracle Drug" cookie
Rating: PG-13 for now
Harry's POV, H/D sorta kinda--we'll see. More appropriately: H/D UST
Expected Length: 8,000 words at least *cries*
Disclaimer: The cookie below isn't beta-ed yet. Most likely this will be the opening scene for "Miracle Drug."
ETA 01/29/07: Harry thinks Li is a guy, but the jury's still out on that one :-P
What brought home to Harry that he was in China proper was the absence of fortune cookies. When he expressed confusion about this at dinner, Malfoy exchanged a can-you-believe-this-idiot glance with Su Li before dissolving into gasps of laughter.
Harry would’ve been amused at the pink flush spreading to Malfoy’s ears and neck if not for the fact that Malfoy was laughing at his expense. And then that Ravenclaw Li giggled-giggled!-and asked whether he really thought Confucius wrote, “Do not paint your fortune with puddles.”
He scowled as he waited for the wheezes of laughter to subside. When he accepted this assignment, he didn’t have a rendezvous with his best enemy in mind.
Now here he was, flanked by the two people in the world who thought he was an idiot. He just needed that Hufflepuff Smith and his humiliation would be complete.
“So, Potter.” Malfoy tapped his teacup. “What has our Gryffindor hero been up to lately?”
He had just opened his mouth to answer when Malfoy’s voice droned on, “Kittens to save, babies to kiss, Death Eaters to kill?-Sorry, capture.”
Narrowing his eyes, he answered, “As a matter of fact, my Death Eater-chasing days are over. All the Death Eaters of rank are either dead or under lock and key. Now all that’s left are junior Death Eaters who went into hiding during the Second War.”
Malfoy had the gall to sip his tea as if he didn’t know who Harry was talking about. Harry’s glaring at Malfoy was cut off by a teapot spout in front of his face.
“More tea?” Li smiled and proceeded to spatter Harry’s fingers with scalding tea.
“Sorry about that,” Li said cheerfully as Harry swore. “My hand-eye coordination is terrible. That’s why I never tried out for Quidditch.”
“Such a shame, really,” Malfoy purred. “You have the perfect built for a Seeker.” Li smiled as if Malfoy had made a million-galleon offer.
Disgusted by the display, Harry hurriedly changed the topic. “So how did you two end up in this town anyway?” He had the misfortune of running into them mere hours after he arrived. They were staying at the same hotel he was in-on the same floor, even.
Li, still smiling fixatedly at Malfoy, replied, “Well, Draco here is on an assignment for his investigative company.”
Harry was surprised. “I thought for sure you’re here on Potions business…”
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. “You thought I was brewing illegal Dark potions for the slimy underbellies of the population in Southern China?” A snort. “Hardly.”
Harry shut his mouth, not denying that it was his first suspicion.
“And are you his coworker?” he asked Li.
Both Li and Malfoy chuckled in merriment. “As much as I’d love working with Draco-” Li began. “I’m self-employed.”
Harry translated this as “I’m too much of a prat for anyone to hire me.”
“Li’s here visiting a friend,” Malfoy drawled out the last word. “I quote, ‘The visit is equally for business and for pleasure.’”
Li turned and smiled at Harry, who quickly jerked his cup (and his fingers) away.
“The perks of being self-employed. You can mix business with pleasure anytime without fear of being penalized.”
“And what’s your business? The flesh trade?”
Li’s smile turned sharp. Malfoy, on the other hand, looked highly amused.
“Oh, this is priceless. ‘The flesh trade,’ Potter?” He placed his fingertips on Li’s sleeve and shared a conspirational look.
“Yes, and Cho Chang runs an escort service. The Patil twins are in high demand, haven’t you heard?” Malfoy was seconds away from guffawing now.
Harry clenched his jaw. Trust Malfoy to take every opportunity to mock him. He didn’t know what he was thinking, accepting their invitation to dinner. He’s probably just a convenient target for them to make fun.
Clearing his throat, Li signaled the waiter for their bill.
“Joking aside, Potter, I’m here to see Xiao Yue. Perhaps you remember her from Hogwarts? She moved to China during our Third Year.”
Harry silently shook his head.
“In any case, I’m bringing her new breeds of flowers for her to grow here. That’s how I ran into Draco, actually,” Li turned to Draco with a fond smile.
“That flower nearly castrated me,” Malfoy said in mock horrified tones.
“It’s not nice to lie, Draco,” Li admonished. This somehow caused them to dissolve into laughter. Again.
“Wait-what?” Harry leaned forward in his seat. “You brought magical flowers? Into China?”
The terrible duo stopped laughing and shushed him.
“Perhaps this is not the best place for such conversations, Potter,” Malfoy said in a low tone.
“Not the best place? Not the best place?” Harry exclaimed in a harsh whisper. “Your friend here boarded a Muggle airplane carrying a sentient magical plant. Not only does that constitute a gross violation of the International Statute of Secrecy, it also impinges on the goodwill of the magical community in China.”
“Wow Potter, I’m impressed. I thought Granger’s the only one capable of using big words.”
“Go to hell, Malfoy.”
Li, in the meantime, had taken out several Yuan notes from his wallet. With a charming smile, he told the waiter to keep the change.
“Come on, Potter. You must be tired from your journey. We can continue this conversation tomorrow morning.”
Harry gave a terse nod. He was still annoyed at Li, but it had been a long flight and he was developing a headache from using the Babel Pisces spell for too long.
He stewed in silence as they waited for the lift to arrive. Malfoy looked slightly concerned on Li’s behalf, whereas Li had an infuriating half-smile playing on his lips.
When the elevator arrived, Harry quickly stepped inside and pressed the button to their floor.
“So, Potter. I presume you’re here on Auror business?”
Harry threw a sharp glance at Li. “How did you know?”
“Oh relax, Potter,” Malfoy drawled. He had lost his concerned demeanor and was looking as assured as ever. “Being the good little Gryffindor that you are, you probably had never taken a vacation all your years as an Auror. There’s also the fact that you immediately assumed that we’re involved in some shady business of the questionable legal variety.”
Harry narrowed his eyes. “And considering that your friend here is a smuggler, it seems that my fears are not unfounded.”
The lift dinged to signal their arrival. As they stepped out, Malfoy could be heard muttering about First Year, smuggled broom and preferential treatment.
(Continued here)