French Wines (Harry/Draco)
Title: French Wines
Word Count: 1125
Author: digthewriter
Rating: PG-13
Contains: *Epilogue compliant of sorts. Year: 2020. Banter.*
Notes: Originally created for hd_owlpost 2015 with the recipient: melodic
Summary: Harry sees Malfoy at King's Cross station.
Harry sent the last of his kids off on the train to Hogwarts, gave a quick nod to Ginny and her new boyfriend, and made his way out of the platform. He hadn't missed the patch of blond hair on the man that towered over most on the station. He walked quickly as if he was avoiding almost everyone, the moment the train had taken off.
Harry had been meaning to catch up with Malfoy for a while now. His potions expertise always helped the Aurors a lot with their cases and ever since his divorce had been finalised, Harry had meant to reach out to him. Since Harry was no longer an Auror, but a Private Investigator, he didn't have enough time to have a social life. The fact that he'd just seen Malfoy here, gave him the perfect chance to jump on the opportunity.
"Malfoy!" he finally called out and almost all eyes turned to look at Harry. But the ones that had mattered, did not. He sighed again and picked up his pace. Finally, he placed his hand on Malfoy's shoulder and spoke again.
"Potter!" Malfoy looked startled. "I wasn't sure. Sorry, I thought I'd heard my name but-"
"It's all right," Harry said and almost collided into Malfoy as one of the Muggles family passed them by and hit Harry's leg with their luggage. "Sorry!" He quickly added some distance in between them.
They started to walk away from platform nine and three quarters and towards the exit.
"How did you get here?" Harry asked.
"I took a Muggle taxi from one of my friends' house. She has a Floo connection. Scorpius doesn't yet care for Apparition much," Malfoy said.
"I know what you mean," Harry said running a hand through his hair. "We used to drive up from Grimmauld Place, well when..." He paused for a moment. "Before the divorce."
"Right, of course," Malfoy said thoughtfully. "I read about that in the Prophet."
"Yeah, that's why I wanted to talk to you." They'd reached the exit and Harry knew that now they'd have to go their separate ways.
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "Do you need a Solicitor?" he asked. "Trouble dividing your assets?"
Harry laughed. "Oh, Gods no!" He ran a hand through his hair again and watched as Malfoy watched him. His hand, then it rubbing through his scalp and then back when Harry had placed it in his pocket. "To be friends," he added, flustered. Malfoy's gaze was intent and Harry was forgetting what they were talking about.
"Friends?" Malfoy said, suddenly looking up at Harry. Confusion and surprise all over his face.
Harry took in a deep breath and clenched his fists in his trousers' pockets. "There aren't a lot of divorced wizards, and I don't have a lot of Muggle friends..."
"Oh," Malfoy said, and was that disappointment that Harry heard? He wasn't sure.
"Do you want to come over tomorrow? I received half a case of Bordeaux that could use an expert opinion." His hands in his pockets were starting to relax as he watched Malfoy's expression soften. Harry wasn't much of a drinker but he did enjoy an occasional glass with a book; it took his mind off his active cases and helped him unwind. Some of his clients bought him presents after he'd fulfil his duties as a PI. The latest case was owned by a vineyard owner, hence six bottles of the best Bordeaux Galleons could buy.
"I bought a flat in Diagon, it works better as a place to live and also my office," Harry said. He'd given the house to Ginny for the kids. Going through a divorce was enough for them, he didn't want to alter anything else in their lives.
"How do you know that I like wine?" Malfoy asked, his tone was cool as a cucumber.
"I think the entire wizarding world knows," Harry said. "Don't you have your own section in Food and Dining on wine pairings?"
The crowd by the exit doors were starting to thin out and Harry relaxed even more. He no longer felt the need to rush into this with Malfoy. Especially since Malfoy seemed interested.
"I'm a little confused, Potter," Malfoy said, the chill in his voice nearly cut Harry through.
"About what?" Harry asked, remaining calm. He didn't let on that Malfoy's tone bothered him.
"Are you inviting me over for a date, or are you asking to be friends?" Malfoy said, looking around their surroundings. He looked slightly amused which only irked Harry. Some things will never change, he thought.
"What-"
"Because if you wish to be friends, then an invitation to a cafe would have sufficed, or even to the Leaky Cauldron, however, if you wish to impress me with your collection of French wines-"
"What's the difference? If I invited you to a cafe, wouldn't getting coffee together could also be interpreted as a date?" Harry asked.
"Invitation to your home without a prelude to dinner indicates that you only wish to bed me," Malfoy said.
Harry scowled. Okay, so he hadn't exactly thought it like that but still, the idea of having Malfoy in his flat, on his bed, naked and writhing underneath him- For Merlin's sake, Harry. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked, annoyed, ignoring the fact that he wanted something from Malfoy and not the other way around.
Malfoy's lips twitched. Fucking wanker was so damned pleased with himself.
"I'm forty years old, Potter. Divorced, and with a kid that's in his fourth year at Hogwarts. I've got a business to worry about and my family assets to attend to. I don't have time for games," Malfoy said, still stern, but there was a heat in his eyes that Harry couldn't ignore.
Harry took in a deep breath and composed himself. "Which one do you prefer?" Malfoy opened his mouth to say something, but Harry cut him off. "Before you say something which will probably be another convoluted way of insulting me, Malfoy, I'd like to add that I'm not interested in games, either. If me inviting you over for wine immediately makes you think I want to have sex with you then it's clear that it's something you also have thought about. So now, tell me. Coffee or wine?"
"Shall I eat before I come over?" Malfoy asked, without delay.
Harry couldn't help but smile. A small chuckle escaped him and he looked down at their feet for a moment. When he looked up again, he said, "I can take care of that, if you bring the lube."
Malfoy bit the inside of his cheek and smiled. "Very well, Potter. See you tomorrow evening."
"Brilliant, I'll owl you my address."
THE END
Word Count: 1125
Author: digthewriter
Rating: PG-13
Contains: *Epilogue compliant of sorts. Year: 2020. Banter.*
Notes: Originally created for hd_owlpost 2015 with the recipient: melodic
Summary: Harry sees Malfoy at King's Cross station.
Harry sent the last of his kids off on the train to Hogwarts, gave a quick nod to Ginny and her new boyfriend, and made his way out of the platform. He hadn't missed the patch of blond hair on the man that towered over most on the station. He walked quickly as if he was avoiding almost everyone, the moment the train had taken off.
Harry had been meaning to catch up with Malfoy for a while now. His potions expertise always helped the Aurors a lot with their cases and ever since his divorce had been finalised, Harry had meant to reach out to him. Since Harry was no longer an Auror, but a Private Investigator, he didn't have enough time to have a social life. The fact that he'd just seen Malfoy here, gave him the perfect chance to jump on the opportunity.
"Malfoy!" he finally called out and almost all eyes turned to look at Harry. But the ones that had mattered, did not. He sighed again and picked up his pace. Finally, he placed his hand on Malfoy's shoulder and spoke again.
"Potter!" Malfoy looked startled. "I wasn't sure. Sorry, I thought I'd heard my name but-"
"It's all right," Harry said and almost collided into Malfoy as one of the Muggles family passed them by and hit Harry's leg with their luggage. "Sorry!" He quickly added some distance in between them.
They started to walk away from platform nine and three quarters and towards the exit.
"How did you get here?" Harry asked.
"I took a Muggle taxi from one of my friends' house. She has a Floo connection. Scorpius doesn't yet care for Apparition much," Malfoy said.
"I know what you mean," Harry said running a hand through his hair. "We used to drive up from Grimmauld Place, well when..." He paused for a moment. "Before the divorce."
"Right, of course," Malfoy said thoughtfully. "I read about that in the Prophet."
"Yeah, that's why I wanted to talk to you." They'd reached the exit and Harry knew that now they'd have to go their separate ways.
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "Do you need a Solicitor?" he asked. "Trouble dividing your assets?"
Harry laughed. "Oh, Gods no!" He ran a hand through his hair again and watched as Malfoy watched him. His hand, then it rubbing through his scalp and then back when Harry had placed it in his pocket. "To be friends," he added, flustered. Malfoy's gaze was intent and Harry was forgetting what they were talking about.
"Friends?" Malfoy said, suddenly looking up at Harry. Confusion and surprise all over his face.
Harry took in a deep breath and clenched his fists in his trousers' pockets. "There aren't a lot of divorced wizards, and I don't have a lot of Muggle friends..."
"Oh," Malfoy said, and was that disappointment that Harry heard? He wasn't sure.
"Do you want to come over tomorrow? I received half a case of Bordeaux that could use an expert opinion." His hands in his pockets were starting to relax as he watched Malfoy's expression soften. Harry wasn't much of a drinker but he did enjoy an occasional glass with a book; it took his mind off his active cases and helped him unwind. Some of his clients bought him presents after he'd fulfil his duties as a PI. The latest case was owned by a vineyard owner, hence six bottles of the best Bordeaux Galleons could buy.
"I bought a flat in Diagon, it works better as a place to live and also my office," Harry said. He'd given the house to Ginny for the kids. Going through a divorce was enough for them, he didn't want to alter anything else in their lives.
"How do you know that I like wine?" Malfoy asked, his tone was cool as a cucumber.
"I think the entire wizarding world knows," Harry said. "Don't you have your own section in Food and Dining on wine pairings?"
The crowd by the exit doors were starting to thin out and Harry relaxed even more. He no longer felt the need to rush into this with Malfoy. Especially since Malfoy seemed interested.
"I'm a little confused, Potter," Malfoy said, the chill in his voice nearly cut Harry through.
"About what?" Harry asked, remaining calm. He didn't let on that Malfoy's tone bothered him.
"Are you inviting me over for a date, or are you asking to be friends?" Malfoy said, looking around their surroundings. He looked slightly amused which only irked Harry. Some things will never change, he thought.
"What-"
"Because if you wish to be friends, then an invitation to a cafe would have sufficed, or even to the Leaky Cauldron, however, if you wish to impress me with your collection of French wines-"
"What's the difference? If I invited you to a cafe, wouldn't getting coffee together could also be interpreted as a date?" Harry asked.
"Invitation to your home without a prelude to dinner indicates that you only wish to bed me," Malfoy said.
Harry scowled. Okay, so he hadn't exactly thought it like that but still, the idea of having Malfoy in his flat, on his bed, naked and writhing underneath him- For Merlin's sake, Harry. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked, annoyed, ignoring the fact that he wanted something from Malfoy and not the other way around.
Malfoy's lips twitched. Fucking wanker was so damned pleased with himself.
"I'm forty years old, Potter. Divorced, and with a kid that's in his fourth year at Hogwarts. I've got a business to worry about and my family assets to attend to. I don't have time for games," Malfoy said, still stern, but there was a heat in his eyes that Harry couldn't ignore.
Harry took in a deep breath and composed himself. "Which one do you prefer?" Malfoy opened his mouth to say something, but Harry cut him off. "Before you say something which will probably be another convoluted way of insulting me, Malfoy, I'd like to add that I'm not interested in games, either. If me inviting you over for wine immediately makes you think I want to have sex with you then it's clear that it's something you also have thought about. So now, tell me. Coffee or wine?"
"Shall I eat before I come over?" Malfoy asked, without delay.
Harry couldn't help but smile. A small chuckle escaped him and he looked down at their feet for a moment. When he looked up again, he said, "I can take care of that, if you bring the lube."
Malfoy bit the inside of his cheek and smiled. "Very well, Potter. See you tomorrow evening."
"Brilliant, I'll owl you my address."
THE END