A Different Kind of Partnership (H/D, G)
Title: A Different Kind of Partnership
Author: sesheta_66
Rating: G
Word Count: ~ 2100
Challenge: "confession" for hd_falling‘s Merry Month of May Fest - May 31st and 100quills’ prompt 035 - “mask”
Warnings: No beta. Please point out any errors you find.
Summary: Harry wants a different sort of partnership with Draco.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
Harry looked in the mirror, bracing himself for what he was about to do. He was going out for supper with Draco that night -- not that that was a strange occurrence, though. The two of them had been business partners for the past three years, and they always had supper together on a Thursday night.
After the war, both men had found themselves at loose ends. The dreams of their youth had faded with the war, and neither was interested in the same things they had been back in school.
Harry had always wanted to be an Auror. He hadn’t even given any other career much thought. But after spending most of his life preparing for or fighting in the war, he had lost his taste for hunting down Death Eaters and other law breakers. The problem was that he didn’t know what else he might want to do. So for the longest time, he did nothing. He actually got pretty good at it. Too good.
Draco hadn’t given any thought at all to what he would do after leaving school. He didn’t have to. He just knew. He would apprentice for Snape, with a view to taking over for him one day. It wasn’t widely known, but Snape had offered the role to Draco early in his time at Hogwarts. He had told Draco that he would have to earn the job, but Snape certainly had confidence that he could do it. So did Draco. But all that changed when Snape died during the war. He had been working with Dumbledore the whole time, and eventually Voldemort found out and killed him without a word. Draco, like Harry, found himself with nothing to do.
The two of them bumped into each other in Diagon Alley one day, about six months after the war. They exchanged pleasantries (after all, they had worked on the same side of the war, and they had grown up by then) and were about to go their separate ways when Harry asked, “Want to grab a bite?” To his surprise, Draco agreed.
Over lunch, the two talked about what they were -- or rather weren’t -- doing with their lives. They talked about the war, their losses, their pasts, their families, Hogwarts, and before they knew it, night had fallen and it was suppertime. They spent another few hours together, rather enjoying each other’s company -- much to their mutual surprise -- and arranged to get together the next day.
They spent most of the next week together, meeting up for lunch each day and talking. They had a lot in common, and both felt at loose ends.
“I was approached last month with an opportunity to run a Quidditch training school,” Draco told Harry.
“So why didn’t you take it? Seems to me you couldn’t get something better than that for getting your mind off the war.”
“Yes, well, it sounded wonderful, but …” His voice trailed off.
“But what?” Harry asked, confused by Draco's lack of enthusiasm.
“But I couldn’t run it myself. I would have needed someone else who was on par with me for skills and ability to motivate and teach. I couldn’t think of anyone, so I turned them down.”
“What?” Harry said incredulously. “You mean to say you didn’t even try to recruit someone?”
“No. I wasn’t looking for an employee; that would have been easy enough. I wanted a business partner. Someone that could share the vision with me, and have an equal stake in the company.”
“You are kidding me, right? You have more money than you could ever spend in a lifetime -- in several lifetimes. You can’t say you need the cash.”
“No, no. Not for the money. For the commitment, the passion, the vision of what it could be. I was excited with the idea at first, but I quickly realized that it would be too much for one person. At least the way I had envisioned it. I wouldn’t take on something to do it ‘well enough’. I wanted to do something great, and I was man enough to realize I couldn’t do it alone. So, there you have it. How about you? Any interesting offers?”
“Is that offer still available?”
“What, the school? I don’t know. They may have found someone since.”
“Could you find out?”
“I suppose, Potter. What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting that you have a possible partner sitting right in front of you.”
Draco eyed him warily. “Potter, we can’t stand each other.”
“Really? Could have fooled me. We have spent the better part of a week together. I’ve talked more to you in that week than I have to anyone else in almost six months. We haven’t fought once, we’ve a lot in common, and you can’t say I don’t match you for skill on the Quidditch pitch.” Harry flashed him a smile, and almost burst into laughter at the stunned look on Malfoy’s face.
“You’d do that? You’d partner with me?”
“Sure. Why not? You‘re a hell of a Quidditch player -- the only competition I ever had at Hogwarts. I know you‘re smart, and you‘re such a control freak, I‘m sure you‘d want to handle the business end of things.”
“Hey! I --”
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist, Malfoy. That was a compliment. Sort of. Anyway, I’m pants at business, and I wouldn’t want to do it. So I think that would work in our favour, don’t you?”
“Well …”
“And you can’t deny that my name will help draw in clients.”
Draco rolled his eyes at that. “I thought you hated your fame.”
“I do. But I figure I’m stuck with it. Not much I can do about it, so rather than have it work against me, I can use it to work for me. And for you, if you want.”
Draco gave Harry a contemplative look. “You’d risk your name being associated with a Malfoy?”
“Oh, please. First, you’re not your father. Second, what do I care? My name has been associated with so many things over the years, I’d think you might want to be the one to avoid an association.” He gave Draco a knowing look, smirked and said, “Then again, you’ve always been a bit of an attention whore.”
“You know, insulting me isn’t exactly the way to sell me on this idea of yours,” Draco warned, but with a less-than-menacing tone.
“I’ve got plenty of money,” Harry continued. “We can be equal partners. You know I’ve got the passion for the game. What do you say?”
“Do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“Run in blindly without thinking things through properly?”
“Yup. It’s worked out okay for me so far.”
Malfoy chuckled at Harry’s frankness. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to find out if the offer is still on the table.”
The rest was history. The offer was, indeed, still on the table. And when they found out Harry Potter was going to be an equal partner, Draco was convinced the one man was going to wet himself with excitement. They were able to get an excellent deal on the franchise just outside of London, and right of first call for the rest of Britain.
They opened up a school three months later, and had been partners ever since. They were entering into negotiations for a second location in Scotland, and were convinced they would have it up and running in a few months. Draco had been doing much of the background research and holding the fort back at home, while Harry had been travelling the Scottish countryside looking for the best location.
It was during his time away that Harry realized he wanted more. He was shocked to find himself missing Draco while he was travelling. Not that they spent every minute together or anything, but he always knew Draco was there. Right there. In the next room, out on the pitch, wherever. He was always close at hand. And suddenly Harry found himself feeling a little lost without that contact.
Thankfully, he had convinced Draco that a telephone was an acceptable Muggle tool, so Harry was able to phone him each night with an update. Their telephone conversations went much longer than necessary; even so, when Harry hung up, he felt like he just wanted to call Draco right back. It was rather unnerving, really.
When Harry returned to England, Draco was the first person he went to see. Not surprisingly, he felt much better once he was back in the other man’s company.
Harry spent the next few weeks thinking about what this might mean. He finally concluded that what he wanted was an entirely different kind of partnership with Draco. But did his snarky partner want the same thing?
Harry kept watching for some sign, some kind of hint, some inkling that perhaps Draco felt the same way about him. But Harry didn’t pick up on anything. And when have you ever realized someone fancies you? a voice in his head admonished him. It was true, he had to admit. So he watched more carefully.
Draco seemed happy when Harry was around. He smiled when Harry entered a room, but then he was his friend and partner. Why wouldn’t he be glad to see him? One thing Harry realized was that Draco never spoke about anyone he might have been seeing. Actually, the thought of Draco seeing someone else made Harry’s stomach tighten in a knot. Oh, he had it bad!
He finally gave up trying to see if the other man was interested. He was getting nowhere, and he was finding it increasingly more difficult to be in a room with him, as he kept wanting to reach out and touch him, or kiss him. He had decided, four weeks after returning from his trip, that enough was enough. He would just have to come out and say it, and hope for the best.
They were at a quiet table in the back of Draco’s favourite Thai restaurant, and Harry was fidgeting. He couldn’t sit still, couldn’t eat, couldn’t focus on anything except what he was about to say.
“What is wrong with you tonight, Harry? You look like a niffler just itching to go digging for something shiny. Relax,” Draco said in exasperation.
“I have a confession to make,” Harry blurted out. The blonde’s back straightened, and he looked like he was steeling himself for some bad news.
“What is it?” Draco asked. Harry wasn’t sure, but he thought that Draco looked worried for a moment there. But as he looked at him now, the warmth from earlier along with that fleeting look Harry couldn’t quite figure out, were gone. Draco had his Malfoy mask firmly in place again. Harry couldn’t help but grin at the transformation. “Is something funny, Potter?”
“What?” Harry was shaken from his musings. “No. Sorry, I just found it amazing how you manage to put on a cold exterior all the time. I haven’t seen it directed at me for a long time now, and I found it slightly amusing that you thought you had to brace yourself for something I might have to say.” Harry’s face suddenly fell as he realized that he didn’t really know what to expect when he told Draco what he was about to.
Draco raised an eyebrow in question. “Well?”
Harry reached across the table and took Draco’s hand in his. Draco looked utterly bewildered, but didn’t withdraw his hand. “Draco, I’ve been meaning to tell you something for sometime now, but I didn’t really know how to.”
“You’re a Gryffindor, Harry. Doesn’t that mean you just run in and do it, think about it later, consequences be damned?”
“Well, yes ... usually. But I’m afraid this is a bit too important to me, so I’m at a bit of a loss.”
“Harry?” Draco brought his other hand to wrap around Harry’s. “Just say it.”
“Well, Draco, I … what I mean to say is … oh, hell. I fancy you. I want to be more than friends, and I think -- no, I hope -- that you feel the same way.”
Draco met him with a look of relief and a warm smile. “For a brave Gryffindor, it sure took you long enough.”
“So you do? Feel the same way, I mean?” he asked, still not sure this could be true.
Draco answered Harry by pulling him closer, and giving him a kiss. On the lips. In the middle of the restaurant. And Harry couldn’t be happier. This, he felt sure, was the beginning of an even better partnership.
Author: sesheta_66
Rating: G
Word Count: ~ 2100
Challenge: "confession" for hd_falling‘s Merry Month of May Fest - May 31st and 100quills’ prompt 035 - “mask”
Warnings: No beta. Please point out any errors you find.
Summary: Harry wants a different sort of partnership with Draco.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
Harry looked in the mirror, bracing himself for what he was about to do. He was going out for supper with Draco that night -- not that that was a strange occurrence, though. The two of them had been business partners for the past three years, and they always had supper together on a Thursday night.
After the war, both men had found themselves at loose ends. The dreams of their youth had faded with the war, and neither was interested in the same things they had been back in school.
Harry had always wanted to be an Auror. He hadn’t even given any other career much thought. But after spending most of his life preparing for or fighting in the war, he had lost his taste for hunting down Death Eaters and other law breakers. The problem was that he didn’t know what else he might want to do. So for the longest time, he did nothing. He actually got pretty good at it. Too good.
Draco hadn’t given any thought at all to what he would do after leaving school. He didn’t have to. He just knew. He would apprentice for Snape, with a view to taking over for him one day. It wasn’t widely known, but Snape had offered the role to Draco early in his time at Hogwarts. He had told Draco that he would have to earn the job, but Snape certainly had confidence that he could do it. So did Draco. But all that changed when Snape died during the war. He had been working with Dumbledore the whole time, and eventually Voldemort found out and killed him without a word. Draco, like Harry, found himself with nothing to do.
The two of them bumped into each other in Diagon Alley one day, about six months after the war. They exchanged pleasantries (after all, they had worked on the same side of the war, and they had grown up by then) and were about to go their separate ways when Harry asked, “Want to grab a bite?” To his surprise, Draco agreed.
Over lunch, the two talked about what they were -- or rather weren’t -- doing with their lives. They talked about the war, their losses, their pasts, their families, Hogwarts, and before they knew it, night had fallen and it was suppertime. They spent another few hours together, rather enjoying each other’s company -- much to their mutual surprise -- and arranged to get together the next day.
They spent most of the next week together, meeting up for lunch each day and talking. They had a lot in common, and both felt at loose ends.
“I was approached last month with an opportunity to run a Quidditch training school,” Draco told Harry.
“So why didn’t you take it? Seems to me you couldn’t get something better than that for getting your mind off the war.”
“Yes, well, it sounded wonderful, but …” His voice trailed off.
“But what?” Harry asked, confused by Draco's lack of enthusiasm.
“But I couldn’t run it myself. I would have needed someone else who was on par with me for skills and ability to motivate and teach. I couldn’t think of anyone, so I turned them down.”
“What?” Harry said incredulously. “You mean to say you didn’t even try to recruit someone?”
“No. I wasn’t looking for an employee; that would have been easy enough. I wanted a business partner. Someone that could share the vision with me, and have an equal stake in the company.”
“You are kidding me, right? You have more money than you could ever spend in a lifetime -- in several lifetimes. You can’t say you need the cash.”
“No, no. Not for the money. For the commitment, the passion, the vision of what it could be. I was excited with the idea at first, but I quickly realized that it would be too much for one person. At least the way I had envisioned it. I wouldn’t take on something to do it ‘well enough’. I wanted to do something great, and I was man enough to realize I couldn’t do it alone. So, there you have it. How about you? Any interesting offers?”
“Is that offer still available?”
“What, the school? I don’t know. They may have found someone since.”
“Could you find out?”
“I suppose, Potter. What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting that you have a possible partner sitting right in front of you.”
Draco eyed him warily. “Potter, we can’t stand each other.”
“Really? Could have fooled me. We have spent the better part of a week together. I’ve talked more to you in that week than I have to anyone else in almost six months. We haven’t fought once, we’ve a lot in common, and you can’t say I don’t match you for skill on the Quidditch pitch.” Harry flashed him a smile, and almost burst into laughter at the stunned look on Malfoy’s face.
“You’d do that? You’d partner with me?”
“Sure. Why not? You‘re a hell of a Quidditch player -- the only competition I ever had at Hogwarts. I know you‘re smart, and you‘re such a control freak, I‘m sure you‘d want to handle the business end of things.”
“Hey! I --”
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist, Malfoy. That was a compliment. Sort of. Anyway, I’m pants at business, and I wouldn’t want to do it. So I think that would work in our favour, don’t you?”
“Well …”
“And you can’t deny that my name will help draw in clients.”
Draco rolled his eyes at that. “I thought you hated your fame.”
“I do. But I figure I’m stuck with it. Not much I can do about it, so rather than have it work against me, I can use it to work for me. And for you, if you want.”
Draco gave Harry a contemplative look. “You’d risk your name being associated with a Malfoy?”
“Oh, please. First, you’re not your father. Second, what do I care? My name has been associated with so many things over the years, I’d think you might want to be the one to avoid an association.” He gave Draco a knowing look, smirked and said, “Then again, you’ve always been a bit of an attention whore.”
“You know, insulting me isn’t exactly the way to sell me on this idea of yours,” Draco warned, but with a less-than-menacing tone.
“I’ve got plenty of money,” Harry continued. “We can be equal partners. You know I’ve got the passion for the game. What do you say?”
“Do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“Run in blindly without thinking things through properly?”
“Yup. It’s worked out okay for me so far.”
Malfoy chuckled at Harry’s frankness. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to find out if the offer is still on the table.”
The rest was history. The offer was, indeed, still on the table. And when they found out Harry Potter was going to be an equal partner, Draco was convinced the one man was going to wet himself with excitement. They were able to get an excellent deal on the franchise just outside of London, and right of first call for the rest of Britain.
They opened up a school three months later, and had been partners ever since. They were entering into negotiations for a second location in Scotland, and were convinced they would have it up and running in a few months. Draco had been doing much of the background research and holding the fort back at home, while Harry had been travelling the Scottish countryside looking for the best location.
It was during his time away that Harry realized he wanted more. He was shocked to find himself missing Draco while he was travelling. Not that they spent every minute together or anything, but he always knew Draco was there. Right there. In the next room, out on the pitch, wherever. He was always close at hand. And suddenly Harry found himself feeling a little lost without that contact.
Thankfully, he had convinced Draco that a telephone was an acceptable Muggle tool, so Harry was able to phone him each night with an update. Their telephone conversations went much longer than necessary; even so, when Harry hung up, he felt like he just wanted to call Draco right back. It was rather unnerving, really.
When Harry returned to England, Draco was the first person he went to see. Not surprisingly, he felt much better once he was back in the other man’s company.
Harry spent the next few weeks thinking about what this might mean. He finally concluded that what he wanted was an entirely different kind of partnership with Draco. But did his snarky partner want the same thing?
Harry kept watching for some sign, some kind of hint, some inkling that perhaps Draco felt the same way about him. But Harry didn’t pick up on anything. And when have you ever realized someone fancies you? a voice in his head admonished him. It was true, he had to admit. So he watched more carefully.
Draco seemed happy when Harry was around. He smiled when Harry entered a room, but then he was his friend and partner. Why wouldn’t he be glad to see him? One thing Harry realized was that Draco never spoke about anyone he might have been seeing. Actually, the thought of Draco seeing someone else made Harry’s stomach tighten in a knot. Oh, he had it bad!
He finally gave up trying to see if the other man was interested. He was getting nowhere, and he was finding it increasingly more difficult to be in a room with him, as he kept wanting to reach out and touch him, or kiss him. He had decided, four weeks after returning from his trip, that enough was enough. He would just have to come out and say it, and hope for the best.
They were at a quiet table in the back of Draco’s favourite Thai restaurant, and Harry was fidgeting. He couldn’t sit still, couldn’t eat, couldn’t focus on anything except what he was about to say.
“What is wrong with you tonight, Harry? You look like a niffler just itching to go digging for something shiny. Relax,” Draco said in exasperation.
“I have a confession to make,” Harry blurted out. The blonde’s back straightened, and he looked like he was steeling himself for some bad news.
“What is it?” Draco asked. Harry wasn’t sure, but he thought that Draco looked worried for a moment there. But as he looked at him now, the warmth from earlier along with that fleeting look Harry couldn’t quite figure out, were gone. Draco had his Malfoy mask firmly in place again. Harry couldn’t help but grin at the transformation. “Is something funny, Potter?”
“What?” Harry was shaken from his musings. “No. Sorry, I just found it amazing how you manage to put on a cold exterior all the time. I haven’t seen it directed at me for a long time now, and I found it slightly amusing that you thought you had to brace yourself for something I might have to say.” Harry’s face suddenly fell as he realized that he didn’t really know what to expect when he told Draco what he was about to.
Draco raised an eyebrow in question. “Well?”
Harry reached across the table and took Draco’s hand in his. Draco looked utterly bewildered, but didn’t withdraw his hand. “Draco, I’ve been meaning to tell you something for sometime now, but I didn’t really know how to.”
“You’re a Gryffindor, Harry. Doesn’t that mean you just run in and do it, think about it later, consequences be damned?”
“Well, yes ... usually. But I’m afraid this is a bit too important to me, so I’m at a bit of a loss.”
“Harry?” Draco brought his other hand to wrap around Harry’s. “Just say it.”
“Well, Draco, I … what I mean to say is … oh, hell. I fancy you. I want to be more than friends, and I think -- no, I hope -- that you feel the same way.”
Draco met him with a look of relief and a warm smile. “For a brave Gryffindor, it sure took you long enough.”
“So you do? Feel the same way, I mean?” he asked, still not sure this could be true.
Draco answered Harry by pulling him closer, and giving him a kiss. On the lips. In the middle of the restaurant. And Harry couldn’t be happier. This, he felt sure, was the beginning of an even better partnership.