Happy H/D Holidays, calanthe_fics!
Author: loveless-x
Recipient: calanthe_fics
Title: Saving Addiction
Pairings: Harry/Draco (past H/G)
Summary: Harry seems to be the only one that believes that Draco Malfoy is not who he used to be.
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warnings: Ginny, some UST, drug themes
Deathly Hallows Compliant?: Yes, fic takes place 2 years after epilogue.
Word Count: 7061
Author's Note: Happy Hols, calanthe_fics!! And thanks so much to my betas E&M.
Draco Malfoy was just about to close his shop for the night when two men came in. He sighed to himself and stood behind the counter.
"Good evening, gentlemen. May I help you with anything?" he asked. The tallest of the pair came up to him and handed him a lengthy list.
"Do you sell these ingredients here?" the man asked. He smelled slightly of whiskey and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days.
Draco examined the list carefully. They were all potions ingredients that were either illegal, or just barely crossing the line. He raised his eyebrows when he reached the bottom of the list. The last ingredient listed was serafine, a highly potent ingredient. Draco cleared his throat and walked around the counter to examine the shelves in the back corner. He muttered to himself as he scanned the shelves and checked off ingredients on the list. When he was finished, he turned to face the men.
"I'm afraid I only carry the ingredients I have checked off, the rest are both very expensive and difficult to obtain, or illegal," he said, handing the list back to them. The unshaven man looked down with a frown as he scanned the checked off items.
"How much would it cost to get the others that you don't have?" he asked. Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Very expensive. A couple hundred galleons per ingredient, and you would only be able to get very small amounts. Shops on Knockturn Alley may be of more assistance to you. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I am now closed for the evening," Draco said, gesturing towards the door. The shorter of the two men flicked his wand, and the open sign read closed. Draco tensed and stood still.
"We intend to get these ingredients from you. All of 'em," said the taller man. "And yer not to tell a soul about it. We'll be back in the morning. G'night, Mr. Malfoy."
After they had left, Draco let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. Numbly, he went through the motions of closing his apothecary before climbing the stairs to his flat above the shop. He fell back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, falling into a half-sleep.
In the morning, Draco had nearly forgotten about the night before. He rubbed at his eyes and stretched, enjoying the sound of the discs in his back clicking into place. Draco made his way into his kitchen and put on a pot of coffee before heading for the bathroom to shower. He closed his eyes and relaxed under the spray of the hot water. After his shower, Draco got dressed for the day, and made some toast and jam for breakfast to go with his coffee.
At nine o'clock, he went downstairs, and flicked his wand at the closed sign to read open. He set up shop for the day and went about his normal business.
Just as Draco was closing up for the night, the same two men from the night before came in. Draco remembered the previous night and what they had asked of him. He gripped his wand in his pocket tightly and took a steadying breath.
"Gentlemen, good evening," he said. The shorter man sneered at him. "I didn't catch your names last night."
"Flynn," said the taller man. "Flynn and Dirk. You won't need our last names. Now, about the ingredients you do have, we'll need all that you have in stock right now. You have a week to get the rest. We need a bulk order of everything - at least one hundred kilos of each ingredient. In case anyone comes snooping around, you don't know us, you didn't sell anything to us, and you aren't doing anything illegal. Got it?"
Draco nodded mutely, already moving to take note of what he had in stock that they needed. He flicked his wand at random boxes on his shelves, which floated over to the counter where Flynn and Dirk were standing. They were shrinking the boxes as they landed on the counter. When Draco finished, he stood behind the counter and mentally took note of what he would need to order for restocking. He calculated the prices in his head and wrote the price down on a piece of parchment. Flynn picked up the paper and examined it, frowning.
"That's with bulk prices," Draco said. Flynn nodded and gestured to Dirk, who pulled out a sack and put it on the counter.
"That should more than cover everything here. Don't worry about trying to contact us when you have the rest; we'll have people watching. And we'll be in touch," Flynn said on their way out the door. Draco leaned back against the wall and swallowed. He didn't understand how he got himself into these situations.
:::
Harry rubbed his face against his pillow and tried to block out the sound of his alarm clock. He sat up and pressed the off button with more force than was necessary. He leaned down and kissed his wife on the cheek before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom for a shower. He stood under the hot water for a long while, letting his thoughts drift. When he finally got out, his fingers were a little wrinkled, but he didn't mind. He walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a delicious smell. He loved it when Ginny made him breakfast.
"Mmm, smells good, honey," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled up at him and kissed him. They sat together at their kitchen table and enjoyed a quiet breakfast. Harry scanned the Prophet for any interesting news and spotted a small article about Draco Malfoy. He frowned and read it quickly.
Malfoy Fortune Slowly Rebuilding!
Draco Malfoy is slowly rebuilding his fortune that had been seriously depleted after the war. Though none of the Malfoys were sentenced to Azkaban, most of their assets were frozen. The youngest Malfoy finished his schooling in France and returned to London a few years after with his lovely wife, Caroline Bellamont-Malfoy. Together, they started an apothecary on Aberdale Lane where they made their cozy home together above their store. Some say it was quite a step down from the mansions the young Malfoy was used to, but his thoughts on the matter are that he, "is quite content and happy." However, tragedy loves the Malfoy family, for Caroline Malfoy died in an unfortunate potions accident shortly after her son, Scorpius Malfoy, was sent to Hogwarts. Still, Draco Malfoy moved on, and has worked hard to get where he is today, with his store being one of the leading potions outlets in the Wizarding quarter of London.
Harry folded his paper, and tossed it aside. He finished his coffee in two large gulps, and stood to get his coat from the closet in the hall. He came back into the kitchen and kissed Ginny on her cheek.
"Have a nice day at work, Harry," she said. He nodded and rushed out the door. He was going to be late for work again.
When Harry arrived at the Ministry, there was already a large pile of paperwork on his desk. He sighed and sat heavily in his chair. He sorted through the stack and picked out the more important papers. He was in the middle of filling out a follow up on a case he closed last week when a memo flew into his office. Harry opened his palm and the paper airplane unfolded in his hand. He read it quickly and raised his eyebrows. He penned an answer on the back of the parchment, and sent the memo on its way.
He sifted through his papers again and found the file he was looking for. It was a case he had been working on for four years now, and the criminals had just resurfaced on the grid again. Harry examined the photos of Flynn MacDougal and Dirk Casey. They were drug runners that had been on the run from the law for the past two years. They had several counts against them, and the number kept growing. The memo had told Harry that a suspicious amount of ingredients had been purchased at DM Apothecary the night before. After the drug outbreak, the ministry placed regulation charms on all potion and ingredient outlets that would put up a red flag if a certain amount or certain kind of potion were purchased.
In this case, Harry knew his leads were working on a new drug to pedal and he had a vague list of some of the ingredients they were after. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This meant he had to take a trip down to Malfoy's shop today. He grabbed his coat and checked the address with one of the secretaries in the front before heading on his way.
Harry looked up at 113 Aberdale Lane and sighed before walking up the path and inside the store. Malfoy looked up from a box he was unloading. Upon recognizing him, Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and he slowly stepped off of the stool he'd been standing on.
"Can I help you?" he asked. Harry nodded and looked around the room. Malfoy was doing pretty well for himself. The store had just about everything any other major shop would carry.
"Yes. I just need to ask you a few questions," Harry said as he browsed through the bottled potions on the wall opposite the shelves of ingredients.
"I'm not in violation of anything, I run a perfectly clean store here, so I do hope you aren't here to try and tell me that I -" he was cut off by a wave of Harry’s hand.
"No, I know you run an honest shop here. Have you seen these two men in the past two weeks?" Harry held up the photos of Flynn and Dirk. Malfoy examined them and eyed Harry. When he nodded, Harry continued. "They're two drug runners I've been after for four years-“Draco cut off Harry.
“-And you need my help to catch them! Hold on, let me just go get my dashing cape,” he said with a smirk.
“No,” Harry said with a stern look. “Now, I know you're aware of the charms the Ministry has put on your store and every other apothecary in London. Well, the purchase made here last night set off the red flag at the Ministry."
Draco sighed, walked behind the counter, and sorted through some papers. He handed Harry a list. Harry examined the list and noted the checked off ingredients on it. He recognized some of the names of what had been purchased last night and nodded to himself.
"Will I be arrested for this? They bought legal ingredients, though now I'm going to have to spend a fortune to restock what they took," Draco said sourly. Harry shook his head and put the list down on the table.
"No, no. But the Auror Department will need your cooperation," Harry said. "Can you tell me what they said to you?"
“So you do need my help?” Draco asked.
“Yes, in a way,” Harry said. “Did they say anything to you, or just make their purchase?”
"They came in here two nights ago, when they first showed me the list. So far, they come right before closing. They didn't say what they needed the ingredients for, but I know what this makes," he said, gesturing towards the list. Harry's eyebrows rose, and Draco smirked. "Potter, all of the apothecary owners need to be up to date with how to make almost every potion out there. This is a very potent drug that alters the senses physically and mentally. It's sort of like having a magic genie, hence being called Genie. The user can change three aspects of their senses. There's probably a few different ways the drug can be altered into sub drugs, as well. Are you following what I'm saying?"
Draco smirked again, and Harry wished he wouldn't do that. Harry picked up the list, and examined it again. "Are they expecting you to get the ingredients you haven't checked off?"
"I have a week to get them," Draco said. Harry nodded to himself.
"We'd like you to go undercover and do as they tell you, for now. They can't know that you're talking to the Aurors; they'll kill you, or worse - take you hostage," Harry said, remembering the last store owner he'd had undercover for this case. Draco gave Harry a skeptical look.
"Do I get a say in this?" he asked.
"Well it's either you cooperate and help us, or we relocate you in a protective program. These guys are serious business," Harry said.
"Are they worse than Voldemort?" Draco smirked at Harry's glare. "Sorry. Ok, then, I'll go along with what you say. But only if the Ministry covers the costs of restocking, and the therapy I'll definitely need after this."
Harry knew he wasn't sorry in the slightest, but was glad that Malfoy was cooperating without much of a fight. Harry watched Draco continue restocking the box he'd been working on when Harry came in. Harry knew this time he'd catch them, and no one would be getting hurt.
"Want some help?" he asked. Draco looked down at him and shrugged.
"Fine, but don't mess up my perfect system of organization," Draco snapped without malice. Harry rolled his eyes. He pointed out how to sort the potions. Harry helped him for two hours before returning to work.
"I'll be back, same time tomorrow," Harry said on his way out.
:::
"Did anything exciting happen at work today?" Ginny asked as they were eating dinner. The table felt so lonely now that all three of their children were at Hogwarts. He shook his head and shrugged. Ginny sighed and stabbed her fork into a carrot.
"I have a case that involves Draco Malfoy's shop," he said nonchalantly. Ginny stopped eating and looked up at him. When Harry looked up, he didn't understand why she was looking at him like that. "What is it?"
"Draco Malfoy? Why do you have to be involved with him?" she asked. Harry didn't understand why she was asking about it.
"Yes, Draco Malfoy. What's the problem? I may have to spend a few hours a day at his shop, and, since he's involved in the case I'm working on, I'll probably have to skip a few dinners here. What's wrong with that?" Harry said.
"Well, nothing, I guess. Are you done?" she asked, taking his plate before he could answer. They'd only just begun eating. He watched as she dumped the uneaten food into the bin, and spelled the dishes clean before putting them away. When she finished, she walked towards their bedroom. He heard the door slam a few moments later. He sat back in his chair and rubbed at his temples. Ever since Lily had left for school, their marriage was becoming more and more strained. It was like without their kids, they were total strangers that had never fallen in love in the first place.
Harry grabbed his coat and left.
:::
A week had gone by, and it had been difficult, but Draco had obtained all of the ingredients left on the list. He'd been pacing in his shop all day, eyeing the clock. Potter had stopped by twice to remind him of the monitoring charms on his store. He had explained that they were going to let them have the ingredients Draco had gotten and keep the serafine from them. The serafine was going to be their bait to lure Flynn and Dirk into a trap.
At precisely one minute before closing time, the bell on the door chimed. Draco closed his book of materials in stock and looked up. Flynn and Dirk looked worse than they had the first two times Draco had met them. Dirk flicked his wand at the open sign. It flipped itself over to read closed.
"Evening, Mr. Malfoy," Dirk said casually. Draco nodded to the scruffy pair, and slid his hand into his pocket to grip his wand.
"You have our, ah, order?" Flynn asked. Draco nodded and levitated a large box onto the counter. Flynn opened the box to check inside. He nodded as he read off the names on the packages. His eyes narrowed when he'd reached the bottom and noticed the most important ingredient wasn't inside of the box. "The serafine?"
"It's highly illegal, as I'm sure you're aware, and thus very hard to get. I worked my arse off just to get these in a week. Do you know how hard it was for me to get the permits for my shop? If anyone found out about this, I could lose my license!" Draco said. He was trying hard to keep calm, but they were making him nervous.
"I don't give two shites about yer damned license; we had a deal," Dirk said, taking a menacing step forward.
"I'll get it for you," Draco promised. He knew Harry was nearby if they got violent, but that didn't help his nerves. "I just need a bit more time. I can get it for you."
Flynn eyed him for a minute before nodding.
"We'll give you another two weeks to get the serafine. An' remember, don't go calling to the Aurors or nothing," Flynn threatened. "The last storekeeper who tried that wound up dead."
Dirk dropped another sack of money on the counter, and shrank the large box before tucking it away safely in his coat pocket.
"Evening, Mr. Malfoy," they called on their way out. Draco leaned back against the wall behind him and flicked his wand at the door to lock it. He'd need a drink tonight. There was a knock on the front window that made him jump. He looked up, and saw Potter waiting outside the front door. He unlocked the door and motioned for him to follow him upstairs.
"This is good; they don't think I've noticed that they're back on the grid yet, probably because they haven't found out about the new order about ingredient amounts but -" Draco cut Potter off.
"Would you like tea or coffee?"
"Oh, um, sure. Coffee is fine, thanks. So, as I was saying, I think we're at a good stage. They only gave the last guy another week. I suppose it shows some trust if they're giving you two weeks to give them an ingredient you already have - but they don't know that," Potter said. He wasn't aware of how fast he was talking, but it was giving Draco a headache.
"Potter, Shut up," Draco said, handing him his coffee. "What about when they start to catch on? They said they had people watching me the first time they came in."
"Well, if they do, they aren't doing a very good job, are they?" Potter asked with a lopsided grin. Draco shrugged, and set the serafine on the table between them. It was in a small, green bottle. It was the most dangerous, and expensive ingredient he'd had to get.
"Now I just have to wait, right? Your Aurors are going to do the rest?" Draco asked. Potter nodded, and set his empty cup on the table.
"They'll be back the same time in two weeks, but we'll be ready for them," Potter reassured him. They talked for a while longer before falling into a comfortable silence. Potter didn't leave until much later.
:::
When Harry opened the door to the bedroom, he was surprised to see Ginny waiting up for him. He walked over to kiss her, but she turned away and his kiss landed on her cheek.
"Gin?" he asked, unsure of why she was upset.
"Were you at Malfoy's place?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded. She glared up at him and got into bed, turning her back to him. Harry was confused as to what was wrong.
"Ginny, what's the matter?" he asked, but she didn't answer.
:::
A week later, Harry walked into DM Apothecary, balancing takeout for two and his notes on the case. Malfoy came over, took the takeout away from him, and set it on the counter, deciding what he wanted to eat first. This had become a regular routine over the last week. Harry would come to the shop after work with takeout, and they would discuss how the Aurors were going to capture the criminals and what Malfoy would have to do. They worked on their set up for possible scenarios for next Friday, when Flynn and Dirk were due to return for the serafine.
"Is it Indian?" Draco asked. When Harry nodded, a smile tugged at Draco's lips. Harry was finding out a lot of little quirks about Malfoy. He loved Indian takeout, and when he went upstairs for the night, he would take off his shoes, put on a new pair of socks, and wear them with slippers around his flat. Draco also had a stray piece of hair that was too long and always hung in his face, only to be tucked behind his ear and fall in his face again. One night Harry counted that Draco tucked his hair behind his ear one hundred and twenty three times. He was slowly growing aware of his fondness for the man.
Harry had forgiven the Malfoys after the war, except for Lucius. He'd testified at their trials to save them all from Azkaban. Harry was sort of used to saving Malfoy. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he quite liked saving Malfoy.
"Let's eat upstairs," Draco said, heading towards the steps. Harry followed and set his notes in the sitting room. Draco went to the kitchen to take out cups and plates. When they were on the couch with their food, they talked for a bit before getting to the case.
"You know, when we were in school, I'm not sure I pictured you becoming a storekeeper," Harry said. Draco smirked and stole food from Harry's plate.
"I'm sure you thought I was going to be the next right hand man of Voldemort, had he won," Draco said.
"I was sure he was going to win," Harry said.
"I was sure he was going to as well, especially with that fire on our tails," Draco said with a smirk. Harry smiled at that.
"It was all in a day's work?" Harry joked.
"My wife used to say that about you. She said you probably went around saying dashing things like that when you saved the damsels from dragons," Draco said, eyes far away with the memories.
"What was she like?" Harry asked carefully.
"Beautiful. She was very tall, with big green eyes and blonde hair. She was very good at potions," Draco said. "She used to make her own, that's how she died."
"Oh," Harry said. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it happened a few years ago now," Draco said. He looked up, and smirked at Harry. "I didn't think you were going to be an Auror, you know."
"Oh, well, I didn't actually want to be, but I just sort of ended up there, I guess," Harry said, shrugging.
"I pictured you either dead or a Quidditch star," Draco said. Harry laughed at that.
"Quidditch? Nah, I wasn't that great," Harry said modestly. Draco scoffed at that comment.
"Nonsense. I could never beat you, and I was the best," Draco said.
"Why weren't we ever friends in school?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Oh, I don't know, I suppose it was because you turned me down first year, and the fact that you were a Gryffindor poster boy. Besides, I wasn’t going to ask you twice," Draco said with a laugh. Harry liked it when he laughed.
Harry eyed Draco's profile. That hair was hanging in his face again and Draco's hand was lifting to tuck it away. Harry reached forward and tucked it back for him.
He wasn't sure why, but Harry leaned over and pressed his lips to Draco's. He inhaled Draco's cologne and slid his tongue into Draco's mouth. Draco was too shocked to move. Harry ran his hands up Draco's arms and gripped his shoulders tightly. Draco smelled and tasted the same, but so different than Ginny. And he liked it. Draco snapped out of his shock, kissing him back hesitantly at first, then with more enthusiasm. Harry pushed Draco onto his back and they fell to the floor. Harry reveled in the soft thunk his head made on the carpeted floor.
Harry crawled over Draco and leaned down to kiss him again. He slid his tongue slowly along Draco's bottom lip until the blond gripped Harry's shoulders and pulled him down. Draco's hips arched up to meet Harry's and their erections brushed through their pants. Draco moaned into Harry's mouth and Harry bit down on Draco's lip. Draco bucked and Harry saw stars behind his eyes. Draco pushed at his shoulders and rolled them over so that he was on top. He straddled Harry's hips and thrust against him. Harry moaned and pulled him down for another kiss. Draco's fingers slid under Harry's sweater and his cool fingers skated over his skin. Harry sat up and struggled out of the shirt before tugging at Draco's. When they were both shirtless, Harry rolled them over so that he was on top again. He kissed a line down Draco's neck and sucked on his collar bone. Draco dug his nails into Harry's back and arched up.
Harry didn't really know what he was doing, but he didn't care. He was sure it wouldn't be too hard to figure out, or all that different from sex with Ginny. He paused and thought about that. He wanted to have sex with Draco Malfoy, and he'd be damned if he was leaving here without it.
Draco's fingers fumbled with the buttons on Harry's pants. Harry sat back to undress fully before undoing Draco's pants and yanking them down. He stared at the other man for a moment.
"Like what you see, Potter?" Draco said with a smirk. Harry nodded and kissed him, hissing at the sensation of their cocks rubbing together. Everything was sticky heat and heady kisses, and he hoped he wasn't going to have the stamina of a lovesick teenager and finish before the main act began. This was so different from his nights with Ginny.
"Do you have lube?" Harry asked. He'd over heard Frances and Clyde talking at the office one day about the mechanics of gay sex. He knew he'd heard that lubricant was involved. Draco nodded, and motioned towards the bedroom. Harry kissed Draco and hoisted him into his arms. Draco was surprised; he hadn't been aware that Harry was that strong. He wrapped his legs around Harry's waist, and Harry carried him all the way to the bedroom.
:::
Harry stretched and yawned when he woke up. Memories of the previous night made him smile into his pillow. He turned towards Draco who was still sleeping. Harry studied the man while he slept, he liked how Draco looked when he was asleep. He stretched again before slipping out of bed to find the bathroom. Harry wandered into the kitchen, and put the kettle on. He snooped around and found some scones in the cupboard, and some jam and cream in the refrigerator. He looked up when Draco walked in.
"Morning," he said with a grin, and handed the other man a plate with a scone. "I put the kettle on."
Draco nodded and sat down at the table in the sitting room. Draco ignored him all through breakfast, except to mention things about Harry's case. Harry wasn't sure what that meant, but it was annoying him. He wanted to lean over the little coffee table, and kiss Draco until he turned into the moaning mess he had been the night before.
"Potter, stop staring at my lips," Draco said. Harry jumped and his coffee spilled into his lap. He hissed in pain. Draco stood and got a dry cloth from the kitchen. He handed the cloth to Harry and headed towards the bathroom. When Harry heard the shower turn on, he decided it would be best if he left.
:::
Harry put his notes down on the kitchen table when he walked into his house. He heard Ginny call his name from the bedroom and he walked towards her voice. When he opened the door, he found her in the same chair as before.
"Hi, sweetie, I -" he said, but Ginny cut him off.
"Where were you last night?" she demanded.
"I, er, had to work all night at the office," he said sheepishly. She nodded once and threw something at him. It hit him square in the forehead. He looked down at the floor and saw that it was her wedding band. He frowned as he bent to pick it up.
"Ginny, what's the mat -"
"Get out. And don't come back until you're ready to be married again," she said viciously. Harry was stunned. He turned on his heel and slammed the bedroom door behind him, grabbing his notes on his way out. The first person's house he thought to go to was Draco's.
:::
Draco was surprised that it was Harry who was knocking on his door. "Yes?"
"Um, Ginny kicked me out. Would you mind if I stayed here for a bit?" Harry asked. Draco stared at him like he had two heads.
"Why?" Draco asked. Harry opened his mouth to repeat what he said, but Draco cut in. "No, why here? Why not stay at the Weasleys'?"
"Because you were the first place I thought of," Harry said. Draco stared at him for a moment before nodding and stepping aside to let Harry in.
:::
Harry had made himself quite at home. Draco let him sleep on his couch, as long as Harry made dinner. They were in the kitchen, chatting while Harry cooked.
“Hand me the oil,” Harry said. Their hands brushed when Harry reached to take the bottle. Harry caught Draco’s eyes, and held them for a moment before Draco looked away. Harry slowly poured the oil over the vegetables and rice. “I told you that I thought to come to your place first. That’s true, but I tried to go to the Weasley’s first.”
“Then why did you end up here?” Draco asked. He’d been getting a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, and he bumped into Harry.
“Ginny is still a Weasley, incase you’d forgotten,” he said. “They aren’t exactly going to take my side on this.”
“Please, they practically raised you. I’m surprised you ended up marrying the daughter I would assume is more like a sister to you,” Draco said suggestively. Harry shot him a dirty look as he chopped up a cucumber to put into the pan.
“She’s not like my sister, she’s my wife,” Harry said. The words didn’t feel right. This felt right, cooking in a kitchen with Draco. Draco was looking at him again, and Harry leaned over to give him a kiss. Draco turned away and went in search of the bottle opener for the wine.
When they sat down to eat, Harry thought he was going to go insane before the night was out. Draco kept brushing his leg against Harry’s.
“Potter, who knew you could cook?” Draco said. He was licking his fork, and Harry wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying. He wanted to reach across the table, throw the fork aside, and pull Draco in for a heated kiss.
“What?” he asked. Draco smirked at him and licked a drop of sauce from his finger. Harry had a feeling it was going to be a long night.
:::
Three days had passed since Potter had started sleeping on the couch in his flat. Draco was downstairs in the shop, stocking his new shipments. The store had just opened, and the first few customers of the day were trickling in. He jumped when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Flynn towering over him. Draco took a steadying breath before he spoke.
"Can I help you?" he asked. MacDougal frowned at him.
"We won't be meeting you this Friday, you'll be coming to this location," MacDougal said as he handed a card to Draco. It had an address on it and a time. Draco opened his mouth to say something, but when he looked up MacDougal was already on his way out. He looked down and read the card again. Draco put the card in his shirt pocket and went back to work.
:::
Draco had thought about the meeting all week. He assumed he was just dropping off the drugs, and he figured he could handle that himself. When it was half past eight, Draco grabbed a coat and headed out.
Harry was late getting back to Draco’s flat from work. When he walked in, he took off his coat and hung it on the stand by the door. On his way to the kitchen, he saw a note on the coffee table. When Harry picked it up, he realized it was a business card. All it said was an address five blocks away and a time. Harry saw that Draco’s coat was gone, and realized with a start that Dirk and Flynn had changed their plans to meet Draco at the shop. He quickly stuffed the card into his pocket, grabbed his coat, and dashed out the door.
Draco had been walking for nearly twenty minutes. He figured he was almost there. He gripped his wand and the bottle of serafine tightly in his coat pocket as he crossed another street. He could see the statue of a mermaid at the intersection ahead. He walked up to it and saw Dirk approaching him. He saw too late that Dirk already had his wand at the ready and was flourishing it. Draco’s body constricted and he nearly toppled into the shallow pool around the statue.
Dirk grabbed Draco’s arm and spun him around. He pointed his wand at Draco’s feet and whispered, “Finite Incantatem. If you try and run, you will die.”
Dirk quickly checked Draco’s pockets, and found the serafine and his wand. He grinned and tugged Draco roughly, and they began walking down the row of houses lining the street. At the last house, Dirk turned down the walkway and pushed Draco up the front stairs. It was a ratty looking house, with peeling paint and a rather large hole in one of the steps. The porch swing looked like it had been out of commission for a long time.
“Inside with yeh,” Dirk said in a grunt. He led Draco down rickety steps into the dank basement. There was a dripping sound coming from the pipes overhead. Draco caught a glimpse of Flynn and two other men in a room where the door was partially open. In the back corner of the basement, there was a holding cell conjured from pipes. Draco tripped when Dirk pushed him in, and he fell onto his stomach with a pained grunt. He could feel a scrape on his chin. Draco heard other footsteps approaching the cell.
“Mr. Malfoy, good evening. Nice of you to join us,” Flynn said. “Now, since you didn’t follow our simple instructions, yeh have to pay the consequences. We said not to go to the Aurors, and what do yeh do? Finite Incantatem. Get up.”
Draco felt his body relax when the spell was removed. He stood, and turned to face Flynn. “The Aurors came to me, actually.”
“Either way, Malfoy, you’re goin’ to end up jus’ like the last shop keeper,” Flynn said with a malicious glint in his eyes. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll come round to see yeh later. Watch him, Dirk.”
Flynn walked back into the room he’d been in before. Dirk grinned at Draco, and pulled up a chair. He waved Draco’s wand in front of him and tucked it away, up his sleeve. Draco sighed and crossed his arms. He refused to sit on the dirty floor or touch the walls.
:::
Harry was nearly out of breath by the time he reached the statue of the mermaid. He looked up and down the street, and checked the address again. He jogged down the street, checking the numbers on the houses. When he reached the house at the end, he hopped the short chain-link fence and kept close to the side of the house. When he saw a basement window, he knelt and crawled towards it. He peeked in, making sure no one would notice him if they happened to look up at the window. He saw Draco in a cell, and Dirk Casey watching him. He looked around the basement and saw one other room that he couldn’t get a good look at.
Harry looked around and made a quick decision. He sent his patronus, with a message, and looked around for another entrance to the house.
:::
Dirk was starting to lose focus on Draco. By now, it was after eleven, and Dirk’s eyelids were starting to get heavy. When Draco heard him snoring softly, he looked over to check if Flynn was coming back any time soon. He knew that after adding the serafine, the potion needed to stew for three hours. He had maybe twenty minutes to get himself out of this situation. Draco reached his arm out through the bars and concentrated on his wand. He hadn’t practiced wandless magic in a long time. When Draco’s wand started to shake, Dirk started to stir. Draco’s heart skipped a beat as his wand shot into his hand. He gripped it tightly as Dirk woke up completely.
“Silencio,” he whispered urgently. Dirk’s yell fell silent, and he scrambled to get his own wand out. Draco waved his wand again with another whispered, “Stupefy.”
Draco ended the spell on the pipe cage, and they slowly withdrew into the ceiling. He glanced at the closed door, and looked around for any other way out. He spotted another cellar door behind a large, metal box. Draco spelled the door unlocked and shoved the door open, ready to make a mad dash to get far away enough to Apparate. Draco’s breath caught when he heard a startled shout. He looked down at the man he’d run into and realized it was Harry.
“Potter?”
“What are you - how did you get away? I was coming in to save you,” Harry said.
“I don’t need you to be my hero, Potter,” Draco said. He helped Harry up and they made their way around to the front of the house. “Did you even call for help, or were you planning on catching them and saving my arse all by yourself?”
“Of course I called for help, do you think I’m an idiot?” Harry asked, mildly affronted.
A group of Aurors arrived and approached them. Harry pointed towards the door they’d come out of. “There’s a way in that way. Cover all exits, and only stun them.”
Shortly after, Dirk and Flynn were in Auror custody, as well as the few other men in the house. Harry walked up to the pair with a big grin on his face.
“Evening, boys,” he said.
:::
Harry had been at the Ministry for three days straight. He'd been working on paperwork and other things he'd put on hold while working on the drug case. He'd be lying to himself if he told himself he was doing it for the sake of doing work. He knew he was avoiding Draco. Harry was confused when the papers he'd been signing flew out of his hands. He looked up and saw that Draco was standing in his doorway, with his paperwork in hand.
"Oh, hello," he said.
"That's all you have to say to me?" Draco asked with a smirk on his face. He walked over and perched on the edge of the desk. "I would have thought that since the case was over you wouldn't be able to resist stopping by more often, and fumbling to make up excuses as to why you were there."
Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, resembling a fish. Draco smirked at him. Harry snapped out of it and stood abruptly.
"So wait, you're telling me that now you'll acknowledge that something actually happened?" Harry asked.
"Potter, shut up," Draco said and leaned forward to kiss him.
:::
When Harry got home, he was confused to find someone else's car there. He shrugged it off, and figured one of Ginny's friends was over. He called for her when he got in, putting his paperwork down on the kitchen table. He heard noises coming from upstairs and followed them.
He opened the door to the bedroom and found Ginny and Zacharias Smith in bed together.
"Oh, oh, oh-Harry!" Ginny shouted when she saw him. Harry stared at them and nodded once before turning and walking out. He left his wedding band in the center of the kitchen table on his way out of the house. He headed for the first place he thought of.
:::
Harry opened the door to Draco's apothecary shop and walked in. Draco was at the counter, reading a book.
"Hi," Harry said. Draco looked up.
"Oh, hello," Draco said.
"That's all you have to say to me?" Harry said with a grin. "I have some papers for you to sign for your testimony of the case."
Harry pulled some papers out from his jacket and put them down on the counter. Draco pulled the papers toward him and read over them. He looked up at Harry, confused.
"Potter, these are divorce papers," Draco said.
"Oh, are they? I must have given you the wrong papers. Here, these are the right ones," Harry said, handing over more papers. Draco signed the correct papers and picked up the divorce papers.
"So does this mean Ginny and you are over?" he asked. When Harry nodded, Draco grabbed the collar of Harry's coat and pulled him in for a kiss.
Fin
Recipient: calanthe_fics
Title: Saving Addiction
Pairings: Harry/Draco (past H/G)
Summary: Harry seems to be the only one that believes that Draco Malfoy is not who he used to be.
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warnings: Ginny, some UST, drug themes
Deathly Hallows Compliant?: Yes, fic takes place 2 years after epilogue.
Word Count: 7061
Author's Note: Happy Hols, calanthe_fics!! And thanks so much to my betas E&M.
Draco Malfoy was just about to close his shop for the night when two men came in. He sighed to himself and stood behind the counter.
"Good evening, gentlemen. May I help you with anything?" he asked. The tallest of the pair came up to him and handed him a lengthy list.
"Do you sell these ingredients here?" the man asked. He smelled slightly of whiskey and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days.
Draco examined the list carefully. They were all potions ingredients that were either illegal, or just barely crossing the line. He raised his eyebrows when he reached the bottom of the list. The last ingredient listed was serafine, a highly potent ingredient. Draco cleared his throat and walked around the counter to examine the shelves in the back corner. He muttered to himself as he scanned the shelves and checked off ingredients on the list. When he was finished, he turned to face the men.
"I'm afraid I only carry the ingredients I have checked off, the rest are both very expensive and difficult to obtain, or illegal," he said, handing the list back to them. The unshaven man looked down with a frown as he scanned the checked off items.
"How much would it cost to get the others that you don't have?" he asked. Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Very expensive. A couple hundred galleons per ingredient, and you would only be able to get very small amounts. Shops on Knockturn Alley may be of more assistance to you. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I am now closed for the evening," Draco said, gesturing towards the door. The shorter of the two men flicked his wand, and the open sign read closed. Draco tensed and stood still.
"We intend to get these ingredients from you. All of 'em," said the taller man. "And yer not to tell a soul about it. We'll be back in the morning. G'night, Mr. Malfoy."
After they had left, Draco let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. Numbly, he went through the motions of closing his apothecary before climbing the stairs to his flat above the shop. He fell back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, falling into a half-sleep.
In the morning, Draco had nearly forgotten about the night before. He rubbed at his eyes and stretched, enjoying the sound of the discs in his back clicking into place. Draco made his way into his kitchen and put on a pot of coffee before heading for the bathroom to shower. He closed his eyes and relaxed under the spray of the hot water. After his shower, Draco got dressed for the day, and made some toast and jam for breakfast to go with his coffee.
At nine o'clock, he went downstairs, and flicked his wand at the closed sign to read open. He set up shop for the day and went about his normal business.
Just as Draco was closing up for the night, the same two men from the night before came in. Draco remembered the previous night and what they had asked of him. He gripped his wand in his pocket tightly and took a steadying breath.
"Gentlemen, good evening," he said. The shorter man sneered at him. "I didn't catch your names last night."
"Flynn," said the taller man. "Flynn and Dirk. You won't need our last names. Now, about the ingredients you do have, we'll need all that you have in stock right now. You have a week to get the rest. We need a bulk order of everything - at least one hundred kilos of each ingredient. In case anyone comes snooping around, you don't know us, you didn't sell anything to us, and you aren't doing anything illegal. Got it?"
Draco nodded mutely, already moving to take note of what he had in stock that they needed. He flicked his wand at random boxes on his shelves, which floated over to the counter where Flynn and Dirk were standing. They were shrinking the boxes as they landed on the counter. When Draco finished, he stood behind the counter and mentally took note of what he would need to order for restocking. He calculated the prices in his head and wrote the price down on a piece of parchment. Flynn picked up the paper and examined it, frowning.
"That's with bulk prices," Draco said. Flynn nodded and gestured to Dirk, who pulled out a sack and put it on the counter.
"That should more than cover everything here. Don't worry about trying to contact us when you have the rest; we'll have people watching. And we'll be in touch," Flynn said on their way out the door. Draco leaned back against the wall and swallowed. He didn't understand how he got himself into these situations.
:::
Harry rubbed his face against his pillow and tried to block out the sound of his alarm clock. He sat up and pressed the off button with more force than was necessary. He leaned down and kissed his wife on the cheek before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom for a shower. He stood under the hot water for a long while, letting his thoughts drift. When he finally got out, his fingers were a little wrinkled, but he didn't mind. He walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a delicious smell. He loved it when Ginny made him breakfast.
"Mmm, smells good, honey," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled up at him and kissed him. They sat together at their kitchen table and enjoyed a quiet breakfast. Harry scanned the Prophet for any interesting news and spotted a small article about Draco Malfoy. He frowned and read it quickly.
Malfoy Fortune Slowly Rebuilding!
Draco Malfoy is slowly rebuilding his fortune that had been seriously depleted after the war. Though none of the Malfoys were sentenced to Azkaban, most of their assets were frozen. The youngest Malfoy finished his schooling in France and returned to London a few years after with his lovely wife, Caroline Bellamont-Malfoy. Together, they started an apothecary on Aberdale Lane where they made their cozy home together above their store. Some say it was quite a step down from the mansions the young Malfoy was used to, but his thoughts on the matter are that he, "is quite content and happy." However, tragedy loves the Malfoy family, for Caroline Malfoy died in an unfortunate potions accident shortly after her son, Scorpius Malfoy, was sent to Hogwarts. Still, Draco Malfoy moved on, and has worked hard to get where he is today, with his store being one of the leading potions outlets in the Wizarding quarter of London.
Harry folded his paper, and tossed it aside. He finished his coffee in two large gulps, and stood to get his coat from the closet in the hall. He came back into the kitchen and kissed Ginny on her cheek.
"Have a nice day at work, Harry," she said. He nodded and rushed out the door. He was going to be late for work again.
When Harry arrived at the Ministry, there was already a large pile of paperwork on his desk. He sighed and sat heavily in his chair. He sorted through the stack and picked out the more important papers. He was in the middle of filling out a follow up on a case he closed last week when a memo flew into his office. Harry opened his palm and the paper airplane unfolded in his hand. He read it quickly and raised his eyebrows. He penned an answer on the back of the parchment, and sent the memo on its way.
He sifted through his papers again and found the file he was looking for. It was a case he had been working on for four years now, and the criminals had just resurfaced on the grid again. Harry examined the photos of Flynn MacDougal and Dirk Casey. They were drug runners that had been on the run from the law for the past two years. They had several counts against them, and the number kept growing. The memo had told Harry that a suspicious amount of ingredients had been purchased at DM Apothecary the night before. After the drug outbreak, the ministry placed regulation charms on all potion and ingredient outlets that would put up a red flag if a certain amount or certain kind of potion were purchased.
In this case, Harry knew his leads were working on a new drug to pedal and he had a vague list of some of the ingredients they were after. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This meant he had to take a trip down to Malfoy's shop today. He grabbed his coat and checked the address with one of the secretaries in the front before heading on his way.
Harry looked up at 113 Aberdale Lane and sighed before walking up the path and inside the store. Malfoy looked up from a box he was unloading. Upon recognizing him, Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and he slowly stepped off of the stool he'd been standing on.
"Can I help you?" he asked. Harry nodded and looked around the room. Malfoy was doing pretty well for himself. The store had just about everything any other major shop would carry.
"Yes. I just need to ask you a few questions," Harry said as he browsed through the bottled potions on the wall opposite the shelves of ingredients.
"I'm not in violation of anything, I run a perfectly clean store here, so I do hope you aren't here to try and tell me that I -" he was cut off by a wave of Harry’s hand.
"No, I know you run an honest shop here. Have you seen these two men in the past two weeks?" Harry held up the photos of Flynn and Dirk. Malfoy examined them and eyed Harry. When he nodded, Harry continued. "They're two drug runners I've been after for four years-“Draco cut off Harry.
“-And you need my help to catch them! Hold on, let me just go get my dashing cape,” he said with a smirk.
“No,” Harry said with a stern look. “Now, I know you're aware of the charms the Ministry has put on your store and every other apothecary in London. Well, the purchase made here last night set off the red flag at the Ministry."
Draco sighed, walked behind the counter, and sorted through some papers. He handed Harry a list. Harry examined the list and noted the checked off ingredients on it. He recognized some of the names of what had been purchased last night and nodded to himself.
"Will I be arrested for this? They bought legal ingredients, though now I'm going to have to spend a fortune to restock what they took," Draco said sourly. Harry shook his head and put the list down on the table.
"No, no. But the Auror Department will need your cooperation," Harry said. "Can you tell me what they said to you?"
“So you do need my help?” Draco asked.
“Yes, in a way,” Harry said. “Did they say anything to you, or just make their purchase?”
"They came in here two nights ago, when they first showed me the list. So far, they come right before closing. They didn't say what they needed the ingredients for, but I know what this makes," he said, gesturing towards the list. Harry's eyebrows rose, and Draco smirked. "Potter, all of the apothecary owners need to be up to date with how to make almost every potion out there. This is a very potent drug that alters the senses physically and mentally. It's sort of like having a magic genie, hence being called Genie. The user can change three aspects of their senses. There's probably a few different ways the drug can be altered into sub drugs, as well. Are you following what I'm saying?"
Draco smirked again, and Harry wished he wouldn't do that. Harry picked up the list, and examined it again. "Are they expecting you to get the ingredients you haven't checked off?"
"I have a week to get them," Draco said. Harry nodded to himself.
"We'd like you to go undercover and do as they tell you, for now. They can't know that you're talking to the Aurors; they'll kill you, or worse - take you hostage," Harry said, remembering the last store owner he'd had undercover for this case. Draco gave Harry a skeptical look.
"Do I get a say in this?" he asked.
"Well it's either you cooperate and help us, or we relocate you in a protective program. These guys are serious business," Harry said.
"Are they worse than Voldemort?" Draco smirked at Harry's glare. "Sorry. Ok, then, I'll go along with what you say. But only if the Ministry covers the costs of restocking, and the therapy I'll definitely need after this."
Harry knew he wasn't sorry in the slightest, but was glad that Malfoy was cooperating without much of a fight. Harry watched Draco continue restocking the box he'd been working on when Harry came in. Harry knew this time he'd catch them, and no one would be getting hurt.
"Want some help?" he asked. Draco looked down at him and shrugged.
"Fine, but don't mess up my perfect system of organization," Draco snapped without malice. Harry rolled his eyes. He pointed out how to sort the potions. Harry helped him for two hours before returning to work.
"I'll be back, same time tomorrow," Harry said on his way out.
:::
"Did anything exciting happen at work today?" Ginny asked as they were eating dinner. The table felt so lonely now that all three of their children were at Hogwarts. He shook his head and shrugged. Ginny sighed and stabbed her fork into a carrot.
"I have a case that involves Draco Malfoy's shop," he said nonchalantly. Ginny stopped eating and looked up at him. When Harry looked up, he didn't understand why she was looking at him like that. "What is it?"
"Draco Malfoy? Why do you have to be involved with him?" she asked. Harry didn't understand why she was asking about it.
"Yes, Draco Malfoy. What's the problem? I may have to spend a few hours a day at his shop, and, since he's involved in the case I'm working on, I'll probably have to skip a few dinners here. What's wrong with that?" Harry said.
"Well, nothing, I guess. Are you done?" she asked, taking his plate before he could answer. They'd only just begun eating. He watched as she dumped the uneaten food into the bin, and spelled the dishes clean before putting them away. When she finished, she walked towards their bedroom. He heard the door slam a few moments later. He sat back in his chair and rubbed at his temples. Ever since Lily had left for school, their marriage was becoming more and more strained. It was like without their kids, they were total strangers that had never fallen in love in the first place.
Harry grabbed his coat and left.
:::
A week had gone by, and it had been difficult, but Draco had obtained all of the ingredients left on the list. He'd been pacing in his shop all day, eyeing the clock. Potter had stopped by twice to remind him of the monitoring charms on his store. He had explained that they were going to let them have the ingredients Draco had gotten and keep the serafine from them. The serafine was going to be their bait to lure Flynn and Dirk into a trap.
At precisely one minute before closing time, the bell on the door chimed. Draco closed his book of materials in stock and looked up. Flynn and Dirk looked worse than they had the first two times Draco had met them. Dirk flicked his wand at the open sign. It flipped itself over to read closed.
"Evening, Mr. Malfoy," Dirk said casually. Draco nodded to the scruffy pair, and slid his hand into his pocket to grip his wand.
"You have our, ah, order?" Flynn asked. Draco nodded and levitated a large box onto the counter. Flynn opened the box to check inside. He nodded as he read off the names on the packages. His eyes narrowed when he'd reached the bottom and noticed the most important ingredient wasn't inside of the box. "The serafine?"
"It's highly illegal, as I'm sure you're aware, and thus very hard to get. I worked my arse off just to get these in a week. Do you know how hard it was for me to get the permits for my shop? If anyone found out about this, I could lose my license!" Draco said. He was trying hard to keep calm, but they were making him nervous.
"I don't give two shites about yer damned license; we had a deal," Dirk said, taking a menacing step forward.
"I'll get it for you," Draco promised. He knew Harry was nearby if they got violent, but that didn't help his nerves. "I just need a bit more time. I can get it for you."
Flynn eyed him for a minute before nodding.
"We'll give you another two weeks to get the serafine. An' remember, don't go calling to the Aurors or nothing," Flynn threatened. "The last storekeeper who tried that wound up dead."
Dirk dropped another sack of money on the counter, and shrank the large box before tucking it away safely in his coat pocket.
"Evening, Mr. Malfoy," they called on their way out. Draco leaned back against the wall behind him and flicked his wand at the door to lock it. He'd need a drink tonight. There was a knock on the front window that made him jump. He looked up, and saw Potter waiting outside the front door. He unlocked the door and motioned for him to follow him upstairs.
"This is good; they don't think I've noticed that they're back on the grid yet, probably because they haven't found out about the new order about ingredient amounts but -" Draco cut Potter off.
"Would you like tea or coffee?"
"Oh, um, sure. Coffee is fine, thanks. So, as I was saying, I think we're at a good stage. They only gave the last guy another week. I suppose it shows some trust if they're giving you two weeks to give them an ingredient you already have - but they don't know that," Potter said. He wasn't aware of how fast he was talking, but it was giving Draco a headache.
"Potter, Shut up," Draco said, handing him his coffee. "What about when they start to catch on? They said they had people watching me the first time they came in."
"Well, if they do, they aren't doing a very good job, are they?" Potter asked with a lopsided grin. Draco shrugged, and set the serafine on the table between them. It was in a small, green bottle. It was the most dangerous, and expensive ingredient he'd had to get.
"Now I just have to wait, right? Your Aurors are going to do the rest?" Draco asked. Potter nodded, and set his empty cup on the table.
"They'll be back the same time in two weeks, but we'll be ready for them," Potter reassured him. They talked for a while longer before falling into a comfortable silence. Potter didn't leave until much later.
:::
When Harry opened the door to the bedroom, he was surprised to see Ginny waiting up for him. He walked over to kiss her, but she turned away and his kiss landed on her cheek.
"Gin?" he asked, unsure of why she was upset.
"Were you at Malfoy's place?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded. She glared up at him and got into bed, turning her back to him. Harry was confused as to what was wrong.
"Ginny, what's the matter?" he asked, but she didn't answer.
:::
A week later, Harry walked into DM Apothecary, balancing takeout for two and his notes on the case. Malfoy came over, took the takeout away from him, and set it on the counter, deciding what he wanted to eat first. This had become a regular routine over the last week. Harry would come to the shop after work with takeout, and they would discuss how the Aurors were going to capture the criminals and what Malfoy would have to do. They worked on their set up for possible scenarios for next Friday, when Flynn and Dirk were due to return for the serafine.
"Is it Indian?" Draco asked. When Harry nodded, a smile tugged at Draco's lips. Harry was finding out a lot of little quirks about Malfoy. He loved Indian takeout, and when he went upstairs for the night, he would take off his shoes, put on a new pair of socks, and wear them with slippers around his flat. Draco also had a stray piece of hair that was too long and always hung in his face, only to be tucked behind his ear and fall in his face again. One night Harry counted that Draco tucked his hair behind his ear one hundred and twenty three times. He was slowly growing aware of his fondness for the man.
Harry had forgiven the Malfoys after the war, except for Lucius. He'd testified at their trials to save them all from Azkaban. Harry was sort of used to saving Malfoy. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he quite liked saving Malfoy.
"Let's eat upstairs," Draco said, heading towards the steps. Harry followed and set his notes in the sitting room. Draco went to the kitchen to take out cups and plates. When they were on the couch with their food, they talked for a bit before getting to the case.
"You know, when we were in school, I'm not sure I pictured you becoming a storekeeper," Harry said. Draco smirked and stole food from Harry's plate.
"I'm sure you thought I was going to be the next right hand man of Voldemort, had he won," Draco said.
"I was sure he was going to win," Harry said.
"I was sure he was going to as well, especially with that fire on our tails," Draco said with a smirk. Harry smiled at that.
"It was all in a day's work?" Harry joked.
"My wife used to say that about you. She said you probably went around saying dashing things like that when you saved the damsels from dragons," Draco said, eyes far away with the memories.
"What was she like?" Harry asked carefully.
"Beautiful. She was very tall, with big green eyes and blonde hair. She was very good at potions," Draco said. "She used to make her own, that's how she died."
"Oh," Harry said. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it happened a few years ago now," Draco said. He looked up, and smirked at Harry. "I didn't think you were going to be an Auror, you know."
"Oh, well, I didn't actually want to be, but I just sort of ended up there, I guess," Harry said, shrugging.
"I pictured you either dead or a Quidditch star," Draco said. Harry laughed at that.
"Quidditch? Nah, I wasn't that great," Harry said modestly. Draco scoffed at that comment.
"Nonsense. I could never beat you, and I was the best," Draco said.
"Why weren't we ever friends in school?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Oh, I don't know, I suppose it was because you turned me down first year, and the fact that you were a Gryffindor poster boy. Besides, I wasn’t going to ask you twice," Draco said with a laugh. Harry liked it when he laughed.
Harry eyed Draco's profile. That hair was hanging in his face again and Draco's hand was lifting to tuck it away. Harry reached forward and tucked it back for him.
He wasn't sure why, but Harry leaned over and pressed his lips to Draco's. He inhaled Draco's cologne and slid his tongue into Draco's mouth. Draco was too shocked to move. Harry ran his hands up Draco's arms and gripped his shoulders tightly. Draco smelled and tasted the same, but so different than Ginny. And he liked it. Draco snapped out of his shock, kissing him back hesitantly at first, then with more enthusiasm. Harry pushed Draco onto his back and they fell to the floor. Harry reveled in the soft thunk his head made on the carpeted floor.
Harry crawled over Draco and leaned down to kiss him again. He slid his tongue slowly along Draco's bottom lip until the blond gripped Harry's shoulders and pulled him down. Draco's hips arched up to meet Harry's and their erections brushed through their pants. Draco moaned into Harry's mouth and Harry bit down on Draco's lip. Draco bucked and Harry saw stars behind his eyes. Draco pushed at his shoulders and rolled them over so that he was on top. He straddled Harry's hips and thrust against him. Harry moaned and pulled him down for another kiss. Draco's fingers slid under Harry's sweater and his cool fingers skated over his skin. Harry sat up and struggled out of the shirt before tugging at Draco's. When they were both shirtless, Harry rolled them over so that he was on top again. He kissed a line down Draco's neck and sucked on his collar bone. Draco dug his nails into Harry's back and arched up.
Harry didn't really know what he was doing, but he didn't care. He was sure it wouldn't be too hard to figure out, or all that different from sex with Ginny. He paused and thought about that. He wanted to have sex with Draco Malfoy, and he'd be damned if he was leaving here without it.
Draco's fingers fumbled with the buttons on Harry's pants. Harry sat back to undress fully before undoing Draco's pants and yanking them down. He stared at the other man for a moment.
"Like what you see, Potter?" Draco said with a smirk. Harry nodded and kissed him, hissing at the sensation of their cocks rubbing together. Everything was sticky heat and heady kisses, and he hoped he wasn't going to have the stamina of a lovesick teenager and finish before the main act began. This was so different from his nights with Ginny.
"Do you have lube?" Harry asked. He'd over heard Frances and Clyde talking at the office one day about the mechanics of gay sex. He knew he'd heard that lubricant was involved. Draco nodded, and motioned towards the bedroom. Harry kissed Draco and hoisted him into his arms. Draco was surprised; he hadn't been aware that Harry was that strong. He wrapped his legs around Harry's waist, and Harry carried him all the way to the bedroom.
:::
Harry stretched and yawned when he woke up. Memories of the previous night made him smile into his pillow. He turned towards Draco who was still sleeping. Harry studied the man while he slept, he liked how Draco looked when he was asleep. He stretched again before slipping out of bed to find the bathroom. Harry wandered into the kitchen, and put the kettle on. He snooped around and found some scones in the cupboard, and some jam and cream in the refrigerator. He looked up when Draco walked in.
"Morning," he said with a grin, and handed the other man a plate with a scone. "I put the kettle on."
Draco nodded and sat down at the table in the sitting room. Draco ignored him all through breakfast, except to mention things about Harry's case. Harry wasn't sure what that meant, but it was annoying him. He wanted to lean over the little coffee table, and kiss Draco until he turned into the moaning mess he had been the night before.
"Potter, stop staring at my lips," Draco said. Harry jumped and his coffee spilled into his lap. He hissed in pain. Draco stood and got a dry cloth from the kitchen. He handed the cloth to Harry and headed towards the bathroom. When Harry heard the shower turn on, he decided it would be best if he left.
:::
Harry put his notes down on the kitchen table when he walked into his house. He heard Ginny call his name from the bedroom and he walked towards her voice. When he opened the door, he found her in the same chair as before.
"Hi, sweetie, I -" he said, but Ginny cut him off.
"Where were you last night?" she demanded.
"I, er, had to work all night at the office," he said sheepishly. She nodded once and threw something at him. It hit him square in the forehead. He looked down at the floor and saw that it was her wedding band. He frowned as he bent to pick it up.
"Ginny, what's the mat -"
"Get out. And don't come back until you're ready to be married again," she said viciously. Harry was stunned. He turned on his heel and slammed the bedroom door behind him, grabbing his notes on his way out. The first person's house he thought to go to was Draco's.
:::
Draco was surprised that it was Harry who was knocking on his door. "Yes?"
"Um, Ginny kicked me out. Would you mind if I stayed here for a bit?" Harry asked. Draco stared at him like he had two heads.
"Why?" Draco asked. Harry opened his mouth to repeat what he said, but Draco cut in. "No, why here? Why not stay at the Weasleys'?"
"Because you were the first place I thought of," Harry said. Draco stared at him for a moment before nodding and stepping aside to let Harry in.
:::
Harry had made himself quite at home. Draco let him sleep on his couch, as long as Harry made dinner. They were in the kitchen, chatting while Harry cooked.
“Hand me the oil,” Harry said. Their hands brushed when Harry reached to take the bottle. Harry caught Draco’s eyes, and held them for a moment before Draco looked away. Harry slowly poured the oil over the vegetables and rice. “I told you that I thought to come to your place first. That’s true, but I tried to go to the Weasley’s first.”
“Then why did you end up here?” Draco asked. He’d been getting a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, and he bumped into Harry.
“Ginny is still a Weasley, incase you’d forgotten,” he said. “They aren’t exactly going to take my side on this.”
“Please, they practically raised you. I’m surprised you ended up marrying the daughter I would assume is more like a sister to you,” Draco said suggestively. Harry shot him a dirty look as he chopped up a cucumber to put into the pan.
“She’s not like my sister, she’s my wife,” Harry said. The words didn’t feel right. This felt right, cooking in a kitchen with Draco. Draco was looking at him again, and Harry leaned over to give him a kiss. Draco turned away and went in search of the bottle opener for the wine.
When they sat down to eat, Harry thought he was going to go insane before the night was out. Draco kept brushing his leg against Harry’s.
“Potter, who knew you could cook?” Draco said. He was licking his fork, and Harry wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying. He wanted to reach across the table, throw the fork aside, and pull Draco in for a heated kiss.
“What?” he asked. Draco smirked at him and licked a drop of sauce from his finger. Harry had a feeling it was going to be a long night.
:::
Three days had passed since Potter had started sleeping on the couch in his flat. Draco was downstairs in the shop, stocking his new shipments. The store had just opened, and the first few customers of the day were trickling in. He jumped when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Flynn towering over him. Draco took a steadying breath before he spoke.
"Can I help you?" he asked. MacDougal frowned at him.
"We won't be meeting you this Friday, you'll be coming to this location," MacDougal said as he handed a card to Draco. It had an address on it and a time. Draco opened his mouth to say something, but when he looked up MacDougal was already on his way out. He looked down and read the card again. Draco put the card in his shirt pocket and went back to work.
:::
Draco had thought about the meeting all week. He assumed he was just dropping off the drugs, and he figured he could handle that himself. When it was half past eight, Draco grabbed a coat and headed out.
Harry was late getting back to Draco’s flat from work. When he walked in, he took off his coat and hung it on the stand by the door. On his way to the kitchen, he saw a note on the coffee table. When Harry picked it up, he realized it was a business card. All it said was an address five blocks away and a time. Harry saw that Draco’s coat was gone, and realized with a start that Dirk and Flynn had changed their plans to meet Draco at the shop. He quickly stuffed the card into his pocket, grabbed his coat, and dashed out the door.
Draco had been walking for nearly twenty minutes. He figured he was almost there. He gripped his wand and the bottle of serafine tightly in his coat pocket as he crossed another street. He could see the statue of a mermaid at the intersection ahead. He walked up to it and saw Dirk approaching him. He saw too late that Dirk already had his wand at the ready and was flourishing it. Draco’s body constricted and he nearly toppled into the shallow pool around the statue.
Dirk grabbed Draco’s arm and spun him around. He pointed his wand at Draco’s feet and whispered, “Finite Incantatem. If you try and run, you will die.”
Dirk quickly checked Draco’s pockets, and found the serafine and his wand. He grinned and tugged Draco roughly, and they began walking down the row of houses lining the street. At the last house, Dirk turned down the walkway and pushed Draco up the front stairs. It was a ratty looking house, with peeling paint and a rather large hole in one of the steps. The porch swing looked like it had been out of commission for a long time.
“Inside with yeh,” Dirk said in a grunt. He led Draco down rickety steps into the dank basement. There was a dripping sound coming from the pipes overhead. Draco caught a glimpse of Flynn and two other men in a room where the door was partially open. In the back corner of the basement, there was a holding cell conjured from pipes. Draco tripped when Dirk pushed him in, and he fell onto his stomach with a pained grunt. He could feel a scrape on his chin. Draco heard other footsteps approaching the cell.
“Mr. Malfoy, good evening. Nice of you to join us,” Flynn said. “Now, since you didn’t follow our simple instructions, yeh have to pay the consequences. We said not to go to the Aurors, and what do yeh do? Finite Incantatem. Get up.”
Draco felt his body relax when the spell was removed. He stood, and turned to face Flynn. “The Aurors came to me, actually.”
“Either way, Malfoy, you’re goin’ to end up jus’ like the last shop keeper,” Flynn said with a malicious glint in his eyes. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll come round to see yeh later. Watch him, Dirk.”
Flynn walked back into the room he’d been in before. Dirk grinned at Draco, and pulled up a chair. He waved Draco’s wand in front of him and tucked it away, up his sleeve. Draco sighed and crossed his arms. He refused to sit on the dirty floor or touch the walls.
:::
Harry was nearly out of breath by the time he reached the statue of the mermaid. He looked up and down the street, and checked the address again. He jogged down the street, checking the numbers on the houses. When he reached the house at the end, he hopped the short chain-link fence and kept close to the side of the house. When he saw a basement window, he knelt and crawled towards it. He peeked in, making sure no one would notice him if they happened to look up at the window. He saw Draco in a cell, and Dirk Casey watching him. He looked around the basement and saw one other room that he couldn’t get a good look at.
Harry looked around and made a quick decision. He sent his patronus, with a message, and looked around for another entrance to the house.
:::
Dirk was starting to lose focus on Draco. By now, it was after eleven, and Dirk’s eyelids were starting to get heavy. When Draco heard him snoring softly, he looked over to check if Flynn was coming back any time soon. He knew that after adding the serafine, the potion needed to stew for three hours. He had maybe twenty minutes to get himself out of this situation. Draco reached his arm out through the bars and concentrated on his wand. He hadn’t practiced wandless magic in a long time. When Draco’s wand started to shake, Dirk started to stir. Draco’s heart skipped a beat as his wand shot into his hand. He gripped it tightly as Dirk woke up completely.
“Silencio,” he whispered urgently. Dirk’s yell fell silent, and he scrambled to get his own wand out. Draco waved his wand again with another whispered, “Stupefy.”
Draco ended the spell on the pipe cage, and they slowly withdrew into the ceiling. He glanced at the closed door, and looked around for any other way out. He spotted another cellar door behind a large, metal box. Draco spelled the door unlocked and shoved the door open, ready to make a mad dash to get far away enough to Apparate. Draco’s breath caught when he heard a startled shout. He looked down at the man he’d run into and realized it was Harry.
“Potter?”
“What are you - how did you get away? I was coming in to save you,” Harry said.
“I don’t need you to be my hero, Potter,” Draco said. He helped Harry up and they made their way around to the front of the house. “Did you even call for help, or were you planning on catching them and saving my arse all by yourself?”
“Of course I called for help, do you think I’m an idiot?” Harry asked, mildly affronted.
A group of Aurors arrived and approached them. Harry pointed towards the door they’d come out of. “There’s a way in that way. Cover all exits, and only stun them.”
Shortly after, Dirk and Flynn were in Auror custody, as well as the few other men in the house. Harry walked up to the pair with a big grin on his face.
“Evening, boys,” he said.
:::
Harry had been at the Ministry for three days straight. He'd been working on paperwork and other things he'd put on hold while working on the drug case. He'd be lying to himself if he told himself he was doing it for the sake of doing work. He knew he was avoiding Draco. Harry was confused when the papers he'd been signing flew out of his hands. He looked up and saw that Draco was standing in his doorway, with his paperwork in hand.
"Oh, hello," he said.
"That's all you have to say to me?" Draco asked with a smirk on his face. He walked over and perched on the edge of the desk. "I would have thought that since the case was over you wouldn't be able to resist stopping by more often, and fumbling to make up excuses as to why you were there."
Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, resembling a fish. Draco smirked at him. Harry snapped out of it and stood abruptly.
"So wait, you're telling me that now you'll acknowledge that something actually happened?" Harry asked.
"Potter, shut up," Draco said and leaned forward to kiss him.
:::
When Harry got home, he was confused to find someone else's car there. He shrugged it off, and figured one of Ginny's friends was over. He called for her when he got in, putting his paperwork down on the kitchen table. He heard noises coming from upstairs and followed them.
He opened the door to the bedroom and found Ginny and Zacharias Smith in bed together.
"Oh, oh, oh-Harry!" Ginny shouted when she saw him. Harry stared at them and nodded once before turning and walking out. He left his wedding band in the center of the kitchen table on his way out of the house. He headed for the first place he thought of.
:::
Harry opened the door to Draco's apothecary shop and walked in. Draco was at the counter, reading a book.
"Hi," Harry said. Draco looked up.
"Oh, hello," Draco said.
"That's all you have to say to me?" Harry said with a grin. "I have some papers for you to sign for your testimony of the case."
Harry pulled some papers out from his jacket and put them down on the counter. Draco pulled the papers toward him and read over them. He looked up at Harry, confused.
"Potter, these are divorce papers," Draco said.
"Oh, are they? I must have given you the wrong papers. Here, these are the right ones," Harry said, handing over more papers. Draco signed the correct papers and picked up the divorce papers.
"So does this mean Ginny and you are over?" he asked. When Harry nodded, Draco grabbed the collar of Harry's coat and pulled him in for a kiss.
Fin