FIC: Only The Lonely [Harry/Draco - NC-17]

[digthewriter]

Title: Only the Lonely
Writer/Artist: digthewriter
Summary: Lonely Draco is lonely. Everyone knows it. The thing is, the only person who doesn't see it, is Draco. Also Potter's looking mighty fit!
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~20,865
Author's Notes: Written for hd_erised 2013. All my thanks to Fantasyfiend09 and Susannah_wilde for their beta. All the remaining mistakes are mine.

It was one of those days when Draco wasn't in the mood to deal with Pansy's harsh truth, but he'd promised her a lunch and obediently showed up.

"Has he owled you yet?" Pansy looked at Draco and raised an eyebrow with scepticism. It was the same song and dance. "He hasn’t, has he?"

"I told you, he’s very busy and he sent me a letter two weeks ago. I can’t expect him to write to me all the time!" Draco argued. He knew the empty feeling inside him was because of the fact that Theo hadn’t written to him in almost a month, and he knew that he really couldn’t be that busy, but he wasn’t going to admit that to Pansy. Not just yet, anyway.

"Right, and how long was it before that?" she asked.

Draco sighed. Loudly. "I’m very busy, Pans. I don’t have time to argue with you about how my fabulous boyfriend is out there working for Healers Without Borders and you’re just sitting here, jealous." His retort usually shut Pansy up and it seemed that Draco’s comment did that trick again.

"Okay, fine." Pansy rolled her eyes and puffed through her ten inch cigarette holder. "Why are you so busy anyway?" she asked.

"I’m applying for a job I saw in the Prophet!" Draco answered excitedly, and sat up straighter, thinking about how wonderful a new venture was going to be. "I sent in my credentials and everything. They said all applicants would be informed in a week’s time so I’m going to receive an owl any moment!"

"A job?" Pansy furrowed her brows. "But honey, you’ve already got a job."

"Yeah, and it’s boring. I doubt the Head Potion Maker even knows my name." Draco had been working as an Assistant Potion Maker at Juniper, the wizarding world’s largest Apothecary with chains all over Europe and Asia. At first, he’d thought it would be an interesting opportunity, but in the past five years he hadn’t been promoted even once, or even acknowledged for his hard work. He was tired of the "self-serving" attitude everyone had around him. In a different lifetime, he would have been the same, but he’d changed after the war and he no longer cared for social games, lying and backstabbing.

"So what’s this new job, then?" Pansy asked.

"It’s called the Lonely Souvenirs," Draco answered gleefully as he said the quirky name out loud and remembering how interesting it sounded when he’d seen the advert in the paper the first time. "They’re looking for an organisational clerk."

"Isn’t that a step down?" Pansy’s tone of disapproval was hard to miss.

"As long as it’s a step away from what I’m doing right now," Draco whined. Ever since Theo had left, Draco really had nothing else to do. He hadn’t woken up next to someone in over a year and he was sure that Theo’s cat hated him. It was as though the cat was resentful towards Draco for Theo leaving, no matter the copious amounts of caviar Draco bought for it.

"The Lonely Souvenirs? What is that, anyway?" Pansy put out her cigarette and began to sip her wine again. She only looked bored, but Draco knew she was interested.

"It’s a charitable establishment. They run support groups and have therapeutic poetry readings for those who are grieving. They are well known all over the wizarding world and they are opening up an office in London." Draco was excited about this opportunity. It was something different and he’d been desperately craving something different.

"So they put on an advert in the Prophet that they need an Office Manager, someone to help them organise and file the items, and help with meetings…"

Pansy snorted, interrupting Draco’s speech.

"What?" he asked.

"You won’t survive a day!"

"Why not?" Draco was offended.

"You don’t know anything about being lonely or about moving on for that matter!" she answered and Draco gave her a stern look. She took that as a sign to continue. "You are in a hopeless relationship, with little to no possibility of it being rekindled, and all because you are afraid to admit that you are lonely."

"I’m not lonely!" Draco snapped. "I am alone, my boyfriend is out there helping the world and I’m … I’m … I’ve got Max!"

"Max?" Pansy laughed again. "That cat hates you!"

"Does not!"

Pansy sighed. "Okay, Draco." She raised her hands in surrender. "Go on, try to fix the lonely, grieving people-don’t come crying to me when you realise that not everyone’s troubles can be fixed! Especially yours."

-~-~-A week passed and there was no owl.

Draco was back at Juniper, working in what he called "the dungeon" and hating every moment of it. It was the same routine day in and day out. The next day, he’d return to the Classified section of the Prophet, looking for a different job.

He walked home disappointedly to the tiny flat he shared with Theo. The tiny flat was all he could afford since all of his and the Notts’ wealth was depleted because of the war, and the little they had left, the Ministry had seized it. When he arrived, there was a letter waiting for him.

Dear Mr Malfoy,

We wish to thank you for your interest in the position of Office Manager at the Lonely Souvenirs - The London Offices. We have a position that has opened up recently and we’d like to bring you in for an interview. It seems that the individual who was initially offered the spot has taken up employment elsewhere.

Draco leaped with joy when he read the letter, then was saddened immediately. He had not been their first choice. He decided to continue reading.

Please reply to this message and let us know if you will be available to meet with our Assistant Director, Mr Harry Potter, on Friday, the 3rd of December, at four o’clock in the evening. We thank you for your attention and your consideration for employment at our establishment.

Yours Truly,
Hannah Abbott-Longbottom

Draco groaned. "Assistant Director, Mr Harry Potter?" This was not going to go well, at all.

-~-~-Draco met Pansy for coffee the next day and they discussed the re-opportunity for Draco’s new employment. "No wonder I wasn’t their first choice. They must really be scraping for someone. I wonder why Potter has finally agreed to interview me."

"I still can’t believe you’ve agreed to go," Pansy offered.

"Pansy, I have to get the hell out of Juniper. I might kill myself!" Draco exclaimed. "In fact, I know I will kill myself."

"But really, you’re going to work with a bunch of Gryffindors?" Pansy spat out her words with disdain.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, and he was pretty sure that Hannah Abbott was in Hufflepuff, but thought twice of not crossing Pansy at that moment.

"I looked into the business of the Lonely Souvenirs and Partners." She put her coffee on the table and reached into her bag to pull out a brochure. "The London offices are to be run by Neville Longbottom and his wife. It is funded by Harry Potter and is in honour of all the war heroes."

Draco looked at the brochure she was holding. "You researched the place?"

"Someone had to look into it properly," she answered. "Longbottom and his wife started a grief support group that the Weasleys joined in, then Potter thought it was a good idea and they made it into a non-profit business venture. Then the Lonely Souvenirs decided they wanted to open a London office and Potter jumped on the bandwagon of combining their efforts and creating one big organisation. They passed you on the first time, and now they must be really desperate to have you come and work for them. Not to mention that their pay...they might as well be socks!"

"Pansy!" Draco exclaimed. "I don’t want to do this for the money and actually it isn’t that bad."

Pansy scoffed but she didn’t answer. Draco figured that she knew better than to argue with him. Draco went home later that evening and Max was sprawled against the door, not letting him in. "Come on, Max," Draco insisted, but the darned cat wouldn’t move. Eventually, instead of pushing the door against the cat, Draco closed the door and Apparated into his flat. Max growled and ran into the bathroom. Sighing and annoyed at the cat, Draco slouched into the sofa and ultimately fell asleep.

He woke up a few hours later and crawled into his side of the bed, placing his hand on the empty cold side that had been empty for-so long. It felt like it had been eons since Draco had had a proper shag. He was still technically "with" Theo so it wasn’t like he could have gone out and found someone for the night, and he felt weird wanking in the bed knowing Max was around. The only relief he ever got was usually in the shower. Draco wondered if he had the energy to go to the shower at that moment. He didn’t. He eventually rolled over towards the middle of the bed and fell asleep again.

-~-~-The next morning, Draco dressed in his finest robes, dark grey with a hunter green lining. He was going to impress the executives at the Lonely Souvenirs with everything he had. Even if it was just Potter. He strutted into work in a happy and positive mood, which was something different for him, but it wasn’t as though anyone had actually noticed his superior work or impeccable attire. He didn’t mind that, he was in too good a mood to let it ruin his day. When three o’clock rolled around, Draco told his co-worker he was off. The bloke barely looked up.

Draco chuckled to himself and decided to walk to the establishment instead of taking the Floo. It was in Muggle London just a few streets over from the Leaky Cauldron. In hopes to avoid strange looks from Muggles, he placed himself under a Notice-Me-Not charm. He also reckoned if things didn’t go his way, he could at least stop there for a pint or ten to drown his sorrows. Again, he was meeting with Potter.

When Draco arrived at the designated address, the venue looked deserted. It looked like an old Muggle house that had been abandoned for ages. The conditions were worse than Potter’s home in Grimmauld Place, which Draco had the unfortunate pleasure of visiting when he’d gone there to thank Potter in person for vouching for him at the Trials.

Draco knocked on the door and waited. A moment later the door swung open and Potter was standing there. Blimey, Draco thought. It really had been a while since Draco shagged someone because Potter was looking fit.

"Malfoy," Potter said with a tone that Draco couldn’t quite place. As though Potter was surprised and disappointed at the same time. He must have lost a bet with one of the Weasleys that he wouldn’t show.

"Potter, is this a bad time?" Draco asked, still confused with Potter’s demeanour.

"No, sorry. Please come in," Potter said, moving out of the way.

Draco walked in and was surprised to see the state of the place. It looked like an abandoned warehouse with boxes everywhere and…was that grime on the walls? Draco felt utterly overdressed for the occasion. This was a job interview, right?

"I’m sorry, I thought this was a well-established organisation?" Draco couldn’t help his scornful tone. Had he just walked in on a bad joke?

"We just moved to this new location and are in the middle of renovations," Potter answered, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry, I should have notified you to dress casual."

"Indeed," Draco mustered up.

"Thanks for coming in on such short notice," Potter said, walking into the place as he closed the door behind him. "We were all set with the Office Manager we’d hired, but she upped and quit the moment she got engaged. I suppose her fiancé didn’t want her to work in such a ‘depressing’ place." Potter scoffed as though he was in disbelief.

"Do you have my credentials, or shall I present you with another copy?" Draco asked, ignoring Potter’s reaction.

"No, we’ve got it. Just wanted to know if you can start soon." Potter smiled at Draco and turned to pick up a piece of parchment. Draco recognised it as the credentials he’d owled to the Hiring Manager.

"Why don’t you tell me what your goals are? I read that this was a temporary position?" Draco asked.

"Right." Potter pointed towards two chairs that were settled in the corner and Draco followed him there. "Basically, the story is, shortly after Neville and Hannah married, Neville’s parents passed on. Though he never really knew them and they never really recognised him ever in his life, he had a difficult time letting go. We had all sort of started an informal support group for our grief, losing Remus and Tonks, Fred…"

Draco nodded. It all sounded dreadful. It was as though Potter had just brought him there to torture him.

"Right, so...Neville thought that he wanted to expand the circle. Not just for those of us who are grieving the loss of a loved one, but maybe help anyone and everyone that’s going through some sort of loss. We’d published articles in the Prophet and printed brochures and pamphlets and left them at St Mungo’s and became sort of a counselling group." Potter paused and looked at Draco as if he was trying to see if Draco was paying attention.

"Anyway, over the course of the year, the group’s evolved into more than just a support group. Some of us have become closer, some even married. We’ve also got this storage space where people have brought in their things and left them here as though they wanted to move on. We want to take it to the next level and create a bigger support group for all wizards."

"Right and you wanted me to-?" Draco asked.

"Well, we need an outsider to manage it all. We are all a bit too close to all of this, so…"

"So do you have any questions for me?" Draco asked, looking around the room and evaluating the space.

"Why are you leaving your current place of vocation?" Potter asked.

"I am no longer happy there." There was no point in lying to Potter. Either he was going to hire Draco or he was not. "I feel like my expertise can be applied elsewhere. I’m unsatisfied at the result of working for a big firm such as Juniper; day in and day out-I do nothing else but work like a machine and I just don’t want that anymore." Draco was surprised at his candour. The only person he’d been this honest with was Pansy. Not even Theo knew that Draco was devastatingly upset at Juniper.

Potter's eyes widened as he watched Draco speak. A moment later, he cleared his throat before asking another question. "Are you used to working alone?"

"What exactly do you mean?" Draco didn't really understand. Was no one else associated with the establishment willing to work with a former Death Eater?

"We all have roles here," Potter said. "I’ll be working in the office, sorting out the finances and trying to get outside funding. Neville and Hannah are the face of the organisation, they’ll be doing community outreach, and then there’s the organiser-the Office Manager-an organisational clerk. You’ll be sorting through the things, cataloguing, working with the space-it’s a very solo project. We just need to find the right fit, a person who knows a thing or two about working on their own."

"I have no issue with being alone. I practically swim in solitary confinement!" Draco snapped. He was trying to make a joke and feared that perhaps he came off wrong.

Potter cleared his throat again. "Alone…" he mumbled and wrote it down on his notes. Draco tried to read what else Potter was writing in his notes, but his handwriting wasn’t legible in the least. It sort of matched Potter’s hair. He chuckled to himself again and Potter immediately looked up. "Can you start tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, we are very far behind the project. We have to redesign the space. The support groups are going to start up again on Monday and it is already Friday." Potter looked down at his notes again. "And we’ve got the big party planned for New Year’s Eve."

"New Year’s Eve?" Draco was shocked. "That doesn’t even give me a month!" And he was supposed to be working alone?

"If it’s a problem…" Potter placed the quill down as though he was done. "If you’ve got a…" Potter paused, searching for words. "A significant other, that you can’t work on Saturdays?"

"No, it’s no problem," Draco answered, without hesitation. "I might need to come in late on Monday though."

"Oh?"

"I’ve got to give notice at Juniper, so I shall be heading there on Monday."

"They don’t need a longer notice?"

"I doubt that." Draco smiled awkwardly towards Potter and looked away. "So if there’s anything else…"

"No, it should be all set then," Potter said. He stood up abruptly and offered his hand to Draco. Draco stood up, taking his time, and shook Potter’s hand. "The work, the contributors, they prefer that we put everything together by hand-the Muggle way. So we are going to have to limit the use of wand and magic." Draco nodded, listening intently. "This means that a lot of times you’ll be sitting on the floor sifting through boxes and you might want to rethink your-attire."

"You want me to come in dressed like a Muggle?" Draco asked.

"No, you don’t have to. Just might want to dress down a bit otherwise you’ll ruin your robes." Draco didn’t say anything. "Not that there’s anything wrong with what you’re wearing-" Potter continued. "I am sure a fine establishment like Juniper requires you to look your best, and you do. Also, if you need funds to purchase a new wardrobe...I am sure we have that in our budget. I know that during the holidays things can be tough. We are a charitable organisation. Not that you’re a charity case...Oh, Merlin."

Draco raised an eyebrow when Potter had stopped rambling. "You don’t have anything to worry about, Potter."

"Right, of course. I-"

Draco raised his hand. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yes, brilliant!"

"Great." Draco nodded curtly at Potter and walked away.

-~-~-Draco arrived to his new job the next morning at nine o’clock. He decided to wear a black button-down shirt and black silk trousers to his first day. He remembered how Potter had told him to "dress down" and he wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to do that. He didn’t exactly own any Muggle jeans or t-shirts. Besides, it was winter. He had sifted through the closet to look for a moderately older coat. He probably wouldn’t need to wear a coat while he was working, but he also didn’t trust completely the fact that he wouldn’t freeze. He wasn’t allowed to do magic, and he wondered if he’d be allowed to place any Warming Charms.

When he arrived at the front door, Draco realised that Potter hadn’t given him a key. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. When in Rome, as the Muggle expression went, Draco knocked on the door again instead of bringing out his wand, and Potter immediately opened it. He was wearing a proper Muggle suit with a burgundy coloured tie and his hair, for once, looked as though it was behaving.

"Do you live here?" Draco asked, unsure of what else to say.

Potter laughed. "No, I arrived a half hour ago. I’ve got a meeting later on, and I realised this morning in the shower-I mean-er-I forgot to give you a key so I wanted to make sure I was here when you arrived."

"Right." Draco walked into the room past Potter, trying to ignore his ramblings. He saw a coat hanger next to the door and took off his coat. "Are you going to close the door?" he asked.

"I thought I’d told you to dress casual…" Potter gave Draco a once over.

"This is." Draco was mildly annoyed. Now he wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. Was he really going to have to put up with Potter every day? He’d been on the job for all of five minutes-

"Right then," Potter said and headed towards a hallway on their right. "If you’ll follow me." Potter led Draco to the staff lounge where coffee was brewing and croissants were laid out. "I don’t know what you like for breakfast, so I bought some…"

"Thank you," Draco said.

"This is your introductory packet and a list of things that need to be looked over. We have four rooms that are to be used for the community. Most people arrive via the Floo Network, so your first task will be to make sure it’s working properly. If not, then you know-"

"Contact the Ministry and have someone come in and look at it?"

"Yes, exactly!" Potter said enthusiastically. "You’d be surprised how many people actually didn’t have an answer for that!"

"You asked interviewees that question?"

"Yes."

"You didn’t ask me that question."

Potter gulped. "Well, we were sort of desperate to hire someone and I figured you’d know the answer. I mean it’s not rocket science."

Draco really was the last person they had interviewed. He was the last choice. That didn’t sound flattering at all. Also, what was rocket science?

"Our first group meeting is tonight. I know I said we’re starting Monday, but there was a change in plans. This happens all the time by the way. It will start at seven o’clock. Although you’re not required to attend the sessions...It’ll be nice for you to attend once in a while. Your main job for tonight, after setting up that room," Potter pointed at the layout, "is to order snacks and coffee and tea for the group."

"How many people will be attending?" Draco asked, quickly searching for a quill in his pocket and realised that it was in his coat by the front door.

"Fifteen have owled to confirm their attendance, but we usually get one or two last minute attendees. I’d set the room up for twenty. There’s a manual here…" Potter stopped walking and turned to a bookshelf and took out a ledger. "This has a record of how many people attended and Hannah also wrote down how much food she’d ordered, etc."

"Hannah is…" Draco wondered if it were the same Hannah that sent him the interview letter.

"Neville’s wife."

"Right."

"Am I going too fast for you, Malfoy?" Potter stopped and turned to look at Draco.

"No, I’m fine, Potter."

"Brilliant."

Potter led Draco to an empty room and handed him another piece of parchment. "This is the layout for this room." Draco nodded. "Basically your job today is to set up this room for the meeting. Go through the boxes, figure out what can you do about the decor. The food has already been ordered for tonight, but familiarise yourself with the procedure. The work day usually will end for you at four o’clock, so you can leave then and just be back by six-thirty for the meeting."

Potter turned to look at Draco again. "Any questions?" Draco shook his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He just wasn’t used to Potter looking so on top of things and treating him like a-normal-sort of employee. "Great. I’ll be upstairs for the next hour, then I’ll be off for the meeting and I’ll be back around three. Feel free to take your lunch, whenever."

Potter was out the door before Draco could say anything.

Draco sat on one of the chairs and opened the package that Potter had given him when he first arrived. There were several forms that Draco needed to fill out, name, address, and place of former employment. He also found a "Binding Contract" that any information he was told or accidentally overheard regarding any client confidential information, he would be sworn to secrecy by all wizarding laws.

The last form asked him for three personal emergency contacts. He put down Pansy Parkinson as the first one immediately. Then he thought about it and figured he could also write down Blaise Zabini. Draco pondered over the third. He thought about writing his mother, but she was in France. Finally he thought about Theo. Could Theo come and claim him if he had an emergency? Would he? Draco stared at the third line for a while. He did not have more than two people in this world who would care if he died the next day.

He sighed heavily and placed the piece of parchment aside.

He decided to look at the ledger that Potter had handed him. It listed a schedule for all the support group meetings that Lonely Souvenirs would be running. They were separated into different categories. On Monday and Wednesday afternoons there was "bereavement counselling" for parents who had lost a child. On Thursday and Friday afternoons there was "bereavement counselling" for wizards and witches who had lost someone to a mental illness, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease and psychosis instilled due to Dark Magic. Draco immediately thought of Longbottom’s parents and his Aunt Bellatrix. He continued reading.

On Sunday afternoons there were informal sessions and an open house for members of the wizarding community who were alone for the holidays.

The evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays were reserved for "heart to heart," a counselling group for members without the presence of a professional. A place where they could talk about whatever they wanted. All members of the wizarding communities and their families were welcomed to sit in an open circle and talk about their grief. It didn’t have to be about death, it could be about anything. The loss of love, the loss of a pet, someone moving away. "We are here for you, and we are here for each other," the brochure stated.

Draco closed the "heart to heart" brochure and opened the one that was about a party. He remembered that Potter had told him the night before about the New Year’s Eve Party.

*~*~*The Potter and Longbottom Foundation "Unspoken Words" invites you to our collaboration and merger with "Lonely Souvenirs." Join us for our New Year’s Eve Celebration: Only the Lonely. A night of fun and festivities, poetry readings, and art designed by members for members.

Admission is free, you just need to RSVP by 26th of December, 2003
*~*~*

A party, that sounds like fun, Draco thought to himself. Then he looked around. The room was disastrous. It was his job to set it all up, and he wasn’t allowed to use magic! He wondered why and made a mental note of asking Potter about that later.

Draco wondered if the use of magic was restricted or if it was simply suggested that he not use it. He put the ledger aside and took out the room diagram. He spotted the chairs in the corner of the room next to a small counter; they were stacked one on top of the other. There were also a few cardboard boxes next to the chairs marked: "Art."

Draco looked around the room where the walls were a mouldy grey colour. He wanted to test his limits so he took out his wand and swished his wrist. The colour immediately changed to a hunter green. Then he swished his wrist again swiftly and the edges and the trims of the walls were painted in a thick silver border.

Draco looked around the room and was mighty satisfied. He waited for a while, simply staring at the paint. Nothing happened. The magic seemed to stick. He then turned to the chairs and swished his wand, edging them to move one by one into a circle. The chairs didn’t move.

Blimey.

He was expected to pick up the chairs one by one and put twenty of them in a circle, with a snack tray in the middle? He was expected to do physical labour? The parchment he was holding in his hand with the room layout suddenly had writing scribbled on it.

"We like and expect ourselves to be involved in all parts of the job, including the parts that are unpleasant, or involve hard, practical work-don’t be afraid to get your hands a little dirty! ~ Hannah Abbott-Longbottom."

Draco rolled his eyes and placed the parchment down. He picked up the chairs one by one and placed them around the room. Draco realised that geometry was not his forte. He had the toughest time putting the chairs in a perfect circle. Every time something seemed to be off and it drove him bonkers.

Next, he tackled the art. The instructions simply indicated: "do as you please."

The first box Draco opened was full of children’s toys. Draco didn’t understand. He found a letter attached to the toys. It was from a woman who claimed she was over sixty years old and the toys belonged to her daughter that was born in the early seventies. "She never got to play with them because she died of an illness before she turned two. I never had the heart to throw them out, and I never had any more children. I am sending this box to you hoping that perhaps now, I can truly find closure."

This was the art? Draco looked at the parchment that was attached to the box. It had the logo for Lonely Souvenirs. There was something written under it. "A place for your broken heart-among your souvenirs."

Potter hadn’t told him about this. Draco sat on the floor next to the box and looked at the parchment. It had scribbled notes on it. Many members of the Lonely Souvenirs brought in personal items to share in the meetings and sometimes they left them. The rooms were to be decked with such memorabilia-the whole establishment was supposed to be "decorated" with it.

Draco’s heart sank into his stomach and he rested his head against the wall. This was going to be tormenting.

"Malfoy, are you okay?" Potter came into the room and startled Draco. "I was just heading out to the meeting and wanted to check in with you." He looked around the room briefly. "Slytherin colours, of course. Won the bet on that one."

"The what?"

"Nothing, never mind. I see you’ve found the box." Potter came closer to Draco and knelt down to be face to face with him.

"Why didn’t you tell me about this?" Draco held a small painting in his hand of what he assumed was the little girl whose mother had sent in the toys.

"That’s part of the interview process," Potter said.

"I don’t understand." Draco felt himself change from confused to angry.

"Asking you to come in on Saturday, minimal magic, testing your trivial knowledge. The Board, they want someone who is emotionally prepared to handle the stress of this job. We interviewed a lot of candidates and we’re testing you. Technically I’m not even supposed to tell-"

"So I was the last candidate, because you thought out of all the applicants I would be the least emotionally capable of handling this sort of-distress?"

Potter didn’t respond. Draco stood up immediately and fixed his shirt. "Fuck you, Potter," Draco sneered.

"Are you going to give notice, then?" Potter asked. His voice was calm.

"Not unless you sack me for swearing at my boss. I’m here to stay. Now if you’ll kindly excuse me, I have work to do." Draco turned around and picked up the box and placed it on the counter.

He began digging through the box and placed items on the counter. He hung some pictures around the room, then used his wand to straighten and line them up. Potter was still in the room, watching him, so he was glad that magic had worked for that bit. He didn’t wish to look like a fool in front of Potter.

"Alright, I’ll be off then. See you, Malfoy," Potter said and left the room. Draco turned to look at the empty spot Potter had been standing in and sighed with relief. He settled on one of the chairs in the corner and held his head in his hands.

This was going to be a very long day. This was going to be a very long month!

Two hours later, the first room was all set up. Draco sat on the chair and looked around. It looked rather a happy room if you didn’t actually see what the art and the decor was about or read the little snippets that were attached to them.

The Floo roared. "For Merlin’s sake!" Draco mumbled.

"Harry, are you here, mate?" Weasley’s voice wasn’t hard to recognise. Draco leaned into the Floo and scowled. "Oh, it’s you." Draco didn’t say anything. "So sticking with the job, then?"

"It seems so," Draco answered. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Where’s Harry? You haven’t already hexed him and tied him to a chair, have you?" Weasley asked.

"What? No!" Draco nearly screamed.

"Well, lost the bet on that one, then."

"Lost what?"

"Nothing. Listen, if he comes back and you’re still there, can you tell him that Mum’s coming to the meeting tonight?" Weasley said; his voice had become less condescending.

"I am not his secretary," Draco retorted.

"Actually, technically, you are," Weasley said sympathetically.

Draco sighed. Actually, technically, he was. "Alright." He nodded into the Floo and Weasley ended the connection.

"Juniper isn’t that bad," Draco said to himself. Actually, it really is. Reassuring himself that he could survive this, Draco mumbled, "Malfoys don’t quit." This was only the first half of his first day. He’d survived worse. At least he wasn’t sitting around sulking about Theo. Come to think of it, this was the first time in four hours Draco had thought about Theo. That was a new record. Pansy would have been proud. If he'd actually told her how many times a day he usually thought about Theo.

Deciding that it was the best time to take a lunch break, Draco remembered that he still did not have a key. He looked at the counter and saw a shiny piece of metal. He was mistaken. Potter had left him a key. Draco cast a Tempus and saw that it was nearly one o’clock in the afternoon. Potter wasn't due to return until three. In case he would come back earlier, Draco returned to the employee lounge and looked for a parchment and quill. He scribbled Potter a note.

Potter, Weasley Floo-called. Mother Weasley is attending tonight. I shall return by half past two. Yes, I’m aware that is an hour and a half lunch break, but I deserve it.~ DM

He hung the parchment on the door to the lounge and left the building, locking it behind him. He was not going to think about his morning for the next hour. He was not going to think about Potter. During his break, Draco barely thought about Theo, and he spent most of his time annoyed at Potter.

-~-~-When Draco returned to the Lonely Souvenirs headquarters, the door was unlocked and Potter was there. Also there were Neville Longbottom and a woman he only assumed to be Longbottom’s wife.

"Mr Malfoy, Hannah Abbott-Longbottom, pleasure to meet you-officially." The woman offered Draco her hand to shake and Draco reluctantly shook it.

"Likewise," Draco said, unsure of what to say next. Longbottom-Neville-was staring at him in complete surprise.

"We are very excited to have you on board," the She-Longbottom said. "The main room looks absolutely fantastic and we are-I am especially-looking forward to seeing how you’re going to fix up the other three rooms and our offices!"

"The offices?" Draco asked, confused.

"Yes, with your excellent work, we are hoping that after you’ve fixed up the four Meeting Rooms, perhaps you can work on the staff lounge and then our upstairs offices, too. You really have impeccable style and an eye for perfection. I love the idea of the Slytherin colours in the Conference Room A. Are you going to incorporate all the House Colours per room? I was just telling Harry how that is just a genius idea!"

Draco looked at Potter, speechless.

Potter chuckled a bit, then spoke. "Don’t worry, she’s this nice to everyone."

"Please!" she said, rolling her eyes. "Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it! Don’t you agree, Mr Malfoy? Bernard Meltzer said that."

"I’m sorry, I am unfamiliar with Wizard Meltzer," Draco said.

She giggled. "He’s not a wizard. He’s a Muggle-was a Muggle radio show host. He had a call-in show, you see. People called in regarding their problems, and he’d give them advice on the radio. Hermione Granger’s parents told me about him. He died right around the time the War had ended. They really liked his show, it seems. He was American."

Draco nodded at whatever she was saying, and felt as though his head was going to pop off. Were all Hufflepuffs this excited?

"She also knows a lot about Muggle culture and…" Longbottom paused for a moment. "Has a knack of Muggle therapeutic techniques on dealing."

"I received a Doctorate in Counselling from Oxford University!" she argued with her husband who looked resigned.

"I’m afraid I don’t know what that means," Draco said, and both Longbottom and Potter snickered. Draco scowled at them.

"Don’t mind them, Mr Malfoy, they aren’t laughing at you. They’re laughing at me. Of course they’re not the ones who will have to answer to Luna about the Wrackspurts in their brains."

Both Potter and Longbottom immediately stopped when she spoke. Draco decided he was going to like her. She had both the men wrapped around her finger.

"Please, call me Draco."

"And you may call me Hannah!" Hannah smiled graciously and took Draco’s hand and walked into Conference Room A with him. Potter hadn’t told him it was called Conference Room A. He’d just given him a map and waited for him to fail.

When Draco and Hannah had turned around the corner, Draco was sure he heard Longbottom say to Potter that he'd "won" something.

Hannah gave Draco a proper tour of the establishment, along with the Executive Offices that were located upstairs. It turned out that Draco had his own little sitting space with a desk and even a Muggle phone. Hannah told him that many wizards who lived in the Muggle parts of the country would confirm their attendance via the telephone rather than an owl or the Floo Network. She showed him how to work the answering machine and how to set up the weekly calendar and the guest list.

"This is all really helpful information, Hannah," Draco said, delighted to be working with someone who for once not only showed him respect, but also took an interest in him.

"Of course, I’m very excited for us to work together." She smiled at him and left him alone at his desk. "We can work on the other rooms starting Monday. For now, we’ll only be using Conference Room A for tonight’s meeting and tomorrow’s luncheon event," she said before she left.

At five o’clock, Draco left the building again and went out for a stroll. The air was chilly and it was beginning to get dark out earlier. Draco allowed himself a single moment of sadness over missing Theo. He remembered their first date, official date after the war was over, was around that time of the year. They were both nineteen and Theo had stolen many kisses that night in excuse of "trying to keep warm."

"Malfoy?" It was Potter. Draco groaned.

"Yes, Potter? It’s past five, I have an hour before I need to get back to the office."

"I know, I was just heading over to get some coffee and hot cocoa for Hannah. Did you want to come with?"

Hot cocoa did sound pretty good. "Alright, you’re buying," Draco said.

"Of course, it’s the least I can do," Potter said, and Draco rolled his eyes.

They quietly walked over to the local café called Trident Café and Potter ordered two large coffees and two large hot cocoas for Hannah and Draco. When he handed it to Draco, he smiled and Draco only curtly nodded in return. They returned to the office quietly. Potter didn’t start any conversation and Draco had no idea what he would say if Potter had.

Upon their return, Draco was glad that Hannah had taken over the talking again.

-~-~-The meeting started precisely at seven o’clock, and just like Ron Weasley had warned, Molly Weasley had attended and was dominating the conversation. She would get up and hug everyone after they’d given their little speech. It was tiring just to watch.

When the conversation actually began, Draco was glad that he was sitting in the corner away from everything.

The first woman to speak was a witch in her late twenties who’d written a letter to her ex-boyfriend. He’d left her for another woman and had moved to Cambodia. The woman read the letter with great zeal and talked about how betrayed she had been. Her hands shook as she held the letter in her hands and her voice trembled. She said she had been pregnant when he’d left her and she had to give the baby up for adoption because she couldn’t afford to keep it. She talked about the child she gave up, how heartbroken she had been, and then she began sobbing.

The woman went on and on for several minutes reading the contents of the letter and Draco felt as though someone was stabbing him in the heart. He was doing his best to hold back the tears he knew were already pouring out of his eyes.

He looked around, but the other staff that were there didn’t seem as phased by the woman as Draco and some of the new members who were attending. The woman eventually sat down, still bawling and holding on to the letter for dear life.

Draco wasn’t sure but he thought that Potter looked in his direction but immediately looked away. Draco wiped his tears quickly and hoped to Merlin that he didn’t look like he’d been crying as though he was just hit by the Cruciatus Curse. That speech had torn him apart.

His mind traced back to Theo and how long it really had been since he’d received a letter from him. He wondered if he too should write out his thoughts and feelings in letters to Theo and never send them. Just writing it all down helped, right?

He wondered what Pansy would say about that. She’d probably insult Theo, and Draco immediately threw the idea out of his head.

"Thank you, Sally," Molly Weasley said and clapped energetically. "Still gets me every time. You’re a brave girl, you hang in there!"

Every time? Draco wondered. Is that why the others weren’t crying as it were as gut-wrenching for them as it was for Draco? Did this woman, Sally, attend the meeting a lot and read the same letter, over and over again?

The meeting continued for the next two hours, and one after the other, every single person shared. Eventually in the end, Molly turned to Draco and spoke. "Mr Malfoy? Draco, would you like to share anything with us?"

Draco felt his cheeks burning; he felt as though he’d lost all sensation in his legs and wouldn’t be able to stand up. "Erm…" he struggled.

"Draco is our new Office Manager, Molly. He’s not going to participate as he’s merely here to observe," Potter chimed in before Draco could say anything.

"Well, I am sure he must have something to say!"

Draco looked around the room unsure of what to say. He thought about his father, but remembered that he had given Molly Weasley’s daughter the Dark Lord’s diary. Then he looked at Longbottom and remembered how his Aunt Bellatrix was nearly well the reason his parents were dead and Molly Weasley had destroyed Aunt Bella...no, not a good thing to say either.

"Our company policy dictates that new employees do not share for the first month of their employment," Hannah said. "Sorry, Mrs Weasley, it’s the new merger, Lonely Souvenirs’, rules."

Draco sighed with relief. He hadn’t really expected to be saved by a Hufflepuff but here he was, being forced to talk about his feelings and she’d all but rode in as a knight in shining armour. He would have to thank her later on. Sure, Potter tried to help too.

Hannah told Draco to take Sunday off and come back to work, refreshed on Monday. She was aware that he had to go in and give notice at Juniper. He nodded and went to shake her hand when she surprisingly pulled him in for a hug.

"With Sally, I cried the first twelve times she read the letter. You get used to it; after a while, you memorise it even," she said. So no chance that he hadn’t been seen bawling his eyes out by his employers, fantastic.

-~-~-On Monday when Draco went into the offices at Juniper, he gave his notice. As he had predicted, the Records Manager asked who he was. Draco snorted; things had turned around so much that a former Death Eater was no longer even recognised just by his name.

After he left Juniper, he still had at least an hour before he was due to show up at Headquarters-a lingo he’d learned from Hannah-so he decided to go to the Trident Café he’d been to with Potter on Saturday and get himself another hot cocoa.

"Draco," Potter said as he opened the door to the café. He was apparently leaving as Draco was walking in.

Draco nodded curtly and entered the café. "Thanks, Potter." He continued walking in when Potter called out for him again. Draco turned, annoyed, trying not to show his frustration. "Yes?"

"I bought muffins and scones for everyone at the office, and some hot cocoa for you," Potter said. He whispered the rest. "I was going to charm it to stay warm until you arrived. I noticed that you’d really liked it last time." Draco raised his chin and squinted his eyes. "Okay, Hannah told me that you’d told her."

"She tells you everything?"

"Well Neville tells me the rest," Potter answered, but Draco didn’t budge. "Hannah’s asked me to be extra nice to you and for Neville to behave. We want to keep you-I mean-good help is hard to come by. Wait, no-"

Draco sighed and raised his hand. "That’ll be enough, Potter." He looked towards the four drinks he was carrying on the tray. "Which one is mine?"

"The one closest to you," Potter said and Draco tried to grab the one he thought Potter meant. "No, not that one, the one next to it."

"That is not closest to me!"

"Do you want your drink or not?"

Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed the cup. Potter handed him the bag of baked goods and turned to leave. Draco was curious to what sort of muffins and scones Potter had bought and picked out the smallest one he could find. He didn’t want to seem greedy; the last thing he needed was to have his employers notice how much he enjoyed sweets.

As they walked back to Headquarters, Draco was next to Potter but they barely spoke. Draco started thinking about the first time he’d taken Theo to a Muggle bakery. How he’d wanted to try every sort of weird muffin and how it had been a sort of tradition for them. Well for Draco anyway; he’d wake up every other Sunday morning and do a ‘breakfast run’ and knew all the sweets Theo liked. He missed that. Sharing breakfast with Theo. Although, he hated that Theo never offered to ever wake up and go for him. Not even on his birthday.

"Here we are," Potter said as he opened the door for Draco, struggling to manage the drinks in his hand and the keys with the other.

Draco walked in and immediately headed towards his desk. He was having a hard time shaking off what Potter had said. Hannah asked me to be extra nice to you and for Neville to behave. Draco was unaware that Gryffindors needed to be told to behave.

"How are you today, Draco?" Hannah came out of her office and startled Draco, yanking him out of his thoughts. "We’ve got fifteen minutes before our next group session starts. Will you be joining today?"

Draco nodded. "Do you attend all of the sessions?" he asked. "I thought Potter said you usually do outreach and attend meetings and such…"

"Usually, yes." She smiled softly and sat at the desk next to him. He liked how at ease she was with him. She wasn’t trying to be his friend, how Potter had been so obvious with his attempts, she simply was just very easy going. There were very few people who were like that with him; she reminded him of Pansy. A very nice, soft, human version of Pansy.

"I try to attend a few every month," she added. "Especially with Only The Lonely coming up, we have to remind our members almost on a weekly basis. Particularly the ones that live alone."

"Why them?" Draco wondered. "Wouldn’t the ones with no obligations attend the party for certain?"

"Not really. They’re usually the ones who are the most frightened to socialise. Afraid of coming out of their shell-being vulnerable," Hannah answered. "What do you think? It’s one thing to force yourself to come and sit in a group of people, share your grief and listen to others. Think about how much effort it is to share your joy with them too."

"Afraid that if they are too joyful, it’ll run out…" Draco said.

"And grief lasts forever, right?" Hannah said. "People have it backwards, especially the ones who are suffering. If you share your grief, it lessens, and if you share your joy, it spreads." She grinned.

It made sense, Draco thought. "You sound like you speak from experience."

She smiled again but didn’t answer. Draco heard footsteps approaching and he and Hannah turned to look towards the stairs; it was Longbottom.

"There you are," Longbottom said to his wife and turned to nod a hello to Draco. "The lunch delivery is here, and I don’t know-"

Hannah hopped off the desk and Draco stood up almost immediately as well. "Allow me," Draco said, and headed towards the stairs. "I’ll take care of it. See you in a bit."

As he walked away from the Longbottoms, Draco heard them discuss him.

"You have him trained."

"Hey, he’s a good hire."

"So we'll keep him on for good?" There was a pause. "Harry will be pleased."

Then they giggled, and Draco was too far to hear the rest of the conversation. Draco didn’t understand, why would Potter be pleased? He dismissed the conversation and concentrated on the task. At first he went to the front door of the building and realised that the delivery man wasn’t there. Of course. He headed towards the Floo.

Draco set up the lunch on the back table of Conference Room A and then prepared the rest of the room. He decided to not sit in the session that day, after all. Instead, he decided to focus his attention on Conference Room B. It was going to be inspired by Hufflepuff House.

A few minutes later, Draco heard the session start in the next room over, even though the door to the room he was working in was closed. Draco placed a Silencing Charm around the room so he could give the session goers their privacy, though in reality, he knew that it was because he probably wasn’t ready to overhear grieving parents discuss the loss of their child. Draco couldn’t even imagine what they’d be going through. The thought of how his mother would react if he’d dropped dead.

Would anyone else care?

Draco thought about the third empty slot on his employee contract again. He didn’t have a third emergency contact still. He was the lonely sod that didn’t share his grief nor his joy with anyone. He’d only shared it with Theo, when he wasn’t too busy anyway.

Shaking off the feeling of despair, Draco concentrated on decorating the room. He tried to focus on the spell that was required to paint a room yellow. He’d painted Conference Room A in Slytherin colours and didn’t need to think twice about that, because he’d done it a thousand times throughout his life. He never needed to paint a room in Hufflepuff colours ever before.

Draco swished his wand and spelled the room. It was a success. Next he concentrated on making the trims black. Another success, and Draco was feeling mighty proud of himself. However, he couldn’t help but think of how it all just looked so happy. Draco conjured up curtains. The black curtains that hung on the two big windows in the room blended well with the yellow that was all around him. He decided it was a good idea to keep the black curtains to even out the exhausting cheerfulness.

The fact that he had somehow managed to volunteer to create a nostalgic tribute to Hogwarts at his new place of employment was invigorating enough, he thought mockingly. The Hufflepuff room didn’t need more effort than he’d put in the Slytherin one. Leaning back against the counter in the room, Draco really stared at the way the black blended with the yellow. He was reminded of Cedric Diggory-about everything that had happened-and about his secret crush on the bloke.

He remembered when he’d shared his secret with Theo and how livid he’d been. Draco should have known better than to be completely honest with someone he loved; he should have thought about Theo’s feelings. But Theo wasn’t there at the moment and Draco was allowed to remember how he’d once seen Cedric in the showers after a Quidditch game. He had spent hours that night in bed with curtains drawn, a Silencing Charm, and his cock in hand. Draco tried not to remember that the first time his fingers had reached his hole was the night he’d seen Cedric and Potter talking. He was ashamed to admit that he’d fantasised of a threesome that night. Draco never told anyone about that.

Draco sighed and snapped out of his former fantasy. He was starting to get hard. Thankfully, there was a knock on the door and he was no longer allowed to think about it. It didn’t help, however, that the person that knocked on the door was Potter.

"Malfoy, have you got a moment?" Potter asked and Draco nodded. "Wow the room looks great!" Potter walked in and closed the door behind him. "Are you alright? You look a bit...flushed."

"I was just thinking…"

"About?"

"Diggory."

"Hm…" Potter said and stood next to Draco, leaning against the same counter and staring at the curtains. "I used to have such a crush on him."

"What?" Draco squealed, immediately regretting how high-pitched his voice had been.

"Why, does that surprise you?"

"No, sorry. Just didn’t know-"

"I was gay?"

"That you had taste."

Potter snorted. "I saw the way you used to look at him…"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, feeling his stomach turning.

"I thought it was because he was in the Triwizard Tournament and well-you just hated everyone-didn’t you? I didn’t realise it was a look of-adoration-not until-"

"Not until what?"

"Nevermind," Potter said, straightening himself. "Molly wants to talk to you."

"What? Why?" Draco snapped, almost panicking.

Before Potter could answer, Molly Weasley had opened the door to the room and walked in. "Draco, dear…" Potter nodded at Draco and left.

"Yes, Mrs Weasley?" Draco stood up straight to face her. He hoped she wasn’t going to ask him to talk about his feelings again.

"I just wanted to apologise, dear...about my insistence on Saturday."

"No, really-"

"I shouldn’t have put you in the spot like that. Harry told me-" She sighed and Draco wanted to know what she was going to say next. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you dear, this must be all very hard for you, too, and though it’s been years since the war; I reckoned I never told you that I, our family, we don’t blame you or hold you accountable for anything. I mean, for Merlin’s sake, you were just a boy!"

Draco cleared his throat; of all the things he expected to be told that afternoon, that was not one of them. "Thank you, Mrs-"

"Call me Molly."

Draco nodded. "Thank you, Molly. I’m speechless…" She looked at him sympathetically. "I’m also very sorry for everything that’s happened in the past, my family’s part of it and...your son…" Before Draco could finish his sentence, Molly pulled him in for a hug and squeezed him so tight he felt as though his eyes were going to pop out of his sockets. "Oh...okay," he managed to say, before she let him go.

"Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. I’ve been told."

Draco laughed lightly. "Thank you again," he said.

"You should come to the house for dinner sometime!" she said.

"I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea."

"Oh hush. I’ll speak with Harry and the others. You should come over for Christmas!" Draco eyes widened and he panicked again. That was the last thing he wanted. "Unless you’ve got someone…"

"Well, I have a boyfriend," Draco said, he did. "But he’s not here. I mean he’s a travelling Healer. Besides, I was going to spend my Christmas with Pansy-it’s our tradition really, since our mothers live in France now."

"Well, bring her. And bring your fellow too, if he’s back by then."

Draco continued to panic. Pansy with the Weasleys, and Potter. "I-"

"I’ll owl Ms Parkinson, and send her an invite," Molly said. "You don’t worry about it, dear."

All Draco could do was worry. Pansy would go bat shit crazy if she realised that Draco had gotten them into this mess. Their past few Christmases when Theo wasn’t around had been getting pissed on Christmas Eve and waking up hung over, opening presents, and having a carb-full-of-breakfast until they opened more wine and passed out in Pansy’s sitting room.

Those were the only two days Draco had allowed himself to lose control.

"I should get back to the house," Molly said, breaking Draco’s concentration. "I’ve got to get dinner set up." She smiled at Draco and patted his cheek and walked away. Draco felt like he’d been stunned silent.

That night, Draco decided to attend "heart to heart," Sally was back and he nearly panicked. Did she attend every session? Much to Draco's relief, she didn't speak. However, there was another woman who in the end sang a song to her former lover.

She informed the group that it was a famous Muggle song that she'd learned after she'd started taking guitar lessons at a local Muggle music school. She brought out her guitar and began to sing.

He takes me to the places you and I used to go
He tells me over and over that he loves me so
He gives me love that I never got from you
He loves me too, his love is true
Why can't he be you?

Draco's heart sank when he heard the first stance. He'd been so alone without Theo and he'd thought of going places where they used to go. He thought about seeing someone new, and he too wondered if he'd ever get over Theo, and move on. Or wish for him to come back to him.

The woman continued singing.

He's not the one who dominates my mind and soul
And I should love him so, 'cause he loves me, I know
But his kisses leave me cold

Draco's heart plummeted in despair. He really felt for this woman. Every fear that he'd ever had about losing Theo was being articulated in the song. He couldn't leave him behind because he was so afraid that whoever came next, couldn't make him feel the way Theo did. At first he felt safe with Theo, but that safety was slipping away. Then why was he having such a hard time letting go?

He bit his lip hard, trying to dull the pain in his heart by causing physical pain on himself. He knew that if he didn't think about the words anymore, he wouldn't cry. He couldn't cry. Not again. He couldn't do this every single day of his life at his job.

She continued some more and Draco wasn't sure how long he could keep his resolve.

He sends me flowers, calls on the hour, just to prove his love
And my friends say when he's around, I'm all he speaks of
And he does all the things that you would never do
He loves me too, his love is true
Why can't he be you?

By the time the woman had stopped singing and a few softly applauded, Draco looked over at Potter who had been standing in the corner. Potter immediately turned and left the room, and Draco wondered if the song meant something for him too.

If they had been on better terms, Draco would have gone up to Potter and talked about it, but he stayed where he was until the session was over. He sank back and wondered about the words to the song and wondered if he'd ever find someone who would speak fondly of him to his friends and that Draco would want his love to be true.

Continue to Part II