![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
suki_blueTitle: Parity Transformations
Fandom: HP
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: Eleven years since he ran from Hogwarts and seven years since the end of the war, Draco has moved on. Now in his late twenties, Draco lives a reclusive life in a tiny village in Hampshire. Never in a million years does he expect to cross paths with Harry Potter again. But he does, and there are two, rather small and rather excitable, complications.
Beta done by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
amejisuto. Thank you, darling.
A/N: Compliant with all canon up to HBP so there may be spoilers for any of the first six books. As this fic is already planned out in full, it will not be compliant with book 7 and will therefore contain NO SPOILERS.
Previous Chapters: HERE
Ten o’clock in the morning and Draco was pacing the living room. Today, he was to visit the home of Harry Potter.
‘I could just not go,’ he said to himself. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. After all, we do hate each other. Why on earth would he want me in his house? Then again, he’d love it if I didn’t turn up. I can just see his face, the cocky little bastard. No, I won’t give him the satisfaction. I’ll go. I will. I will.’
Draco paused at the voile-covered window, glancing through the sheer fabric out to the front garden. He sighed dramatically and adjusted the tall, ivory-coloured figurine on the sill.
‘Yes. I’ll go; Kasen and James will apologise to each other properly, then we’ll leave. Perfect.’
‘Who are you talking to?’ a small voice asked from somewhere in the vicinity of Draco’s elbow.
Draco started and the figurine wobbled between his fingers. ‘No one,’ he said, settling the ornament back into place and stepping away. ‘Myself, perhaps.’
‘Do you want to talk to Archibald?’ Kasen thrust his toy dog into the air, its long, brown ears flopping once as it came to a stop.
Draco smiled. ‘No, thank you. I think I’m just about done anyway. Are you bringing him with you?’ he asked.
‘Yep. Can I take some other toys, too?’
Draco wasn’t sure about that. He in no way wanted to encourage any ‘settling in’ at Potter’s house. ‘I don’t know, Kasen. I’m sure James has some toys you could play with.’
Kasen wasn’t satisfied with that answer, so he begged, and pleaded, and whined until Draco gave in and allowed one more toy, which turned out to be a box of Fuzzy-Felt.
They left the house a little earlier than planned as Draco wanted to stop at the shop to pick up a couple of items, and because Kasen tended to drag his feet when forced to carry his own things.
‘It’s too heavy!’
‘Oh shush. It’s Fuzzy-Felt. How heavy can it be?’
It was a hot day again. The sky was a brilliant blue, not a cloud in sight, and the air smelled of cut grass and roses: Abraham D'Arby, if Draco wasn’t mistaken; his favourite rose. In short, it was a lovely day for a stroll.
It was not a lovely day to visit one’s old nemesis. Surely there should be lightning and brimstone! And sudden flooding between here and Old Parsonage Road!
But no such thing happened. The sky stayed bright and no divine entity broke the quiet afternoon tranquility with any sort of hellish damnation.
Draco and Kasen left the village shop just five minutes after they entered it, Draco now burdened with a plain blue plastic bag filled with Flying Saucers, two Scooby Doo fun packs and Archibald, who had finally been dropped one time too many.
Another ten minutes later, Draco and Kasen turned down into Old Parsonage Road.
‘Keep your eyes peeled for number twenty-eight, Kasen.’
Kasen nodded and bounced along happily in front, both hands firmly grasping the long, thin box of Fuzzy-Felt.
It was a nice road, Draco conceded. It was mostly comprised of detached properties, with two or three rows of semi-detached houses thrown in for good measure. One small block of flats was visible on the right as Draco passed, behind a row of tall elms which were perfectly spaced out and swaying gently in the warm breeze.
‘There!’ Kasen announced, pointing a single finger and dropping one side of the box so that it brushed the gritty pavement.
Harry Potter’s house wasn’t as Draco had imagined. It was actually quite a modest size, smaller than his house and definitely much older. Draco had thought Potter the sort to go for one of the more modern and spacious cottages that were gaining popularity throughout the county, even though he’d been struggling to picture any of those in Otterbourne. He didn’t know this side of the village all that well, but he’d always thought Old Parsonage Road to be a little more traditional than some places.
He’d been right about that.
Harry Potter lived in a charming little thatched cottage with a front door that was surrounded by variegated ivy and had obviously been designed for a hobbit. Oh, dear Merlin, Draco thought, he was probably going to have to duck through all the doorways and under a multitude of ceiling beams. Such fun.
As Potter had said it would be, the house was set back much further than the others, as though it had been built long before the road had been put in place. Draco made his way down the long path, Kasen now beside him and on his best behaviour.
‘Remember your apology to James,’ Draco reminded, and then he rung the doorbell and tried not to fidget or run away screaming. It wasn’t easy.
Potter took his time answering the door, which was just typical and probably deliberate.
‘Hi.’
‘Good afternoon, Potter. Not too early, are we?’ Draco added when Potter seemed to be frozen to the spot.
‘Oh, no, sorry, not at all. Come in.’ Potter looked down at Kasen and smiled. ‘What’s that you’ve got there?’ he asked as they entered.
‘FUZZY-FELT!’ Kasen announced, much louder than was strictly necessary.
Potter laughed. ‘Great! And what would you like to drink?’
‘SQUASH!’
‘Someone’s excitable today.’
‘Everyday,’ Draco said with weariness that only the parent of a four-year-old could exude.
Potter took Draco’s drink order and then directed them both over to the sofa, where Draco perched on the very edge of the middle cushion and Kasen sat on the floor at his feet. While Potter trotted off to fetch James from the garden and to fix the drinks, Draco took stock of his surroundings.
The living room was much smaller than anything Draco was used to. He felt like he should be feeling claustrophobic, but something told him that the tightness in his chest had nothing to do with square footage.
Potter certainly had done the place justice. The walls smelled like they were recently painted and were a charming fawn colour that Draco immediately coveted. Exposed beams covered the ceiling, and the polished oak floorboards were set off by a huge, shaggy brown rug that lay sprawled in the centre of the room like a great basking hound. A taupe coloured sofa, two matching arm chairs and an expansive oak coffee table that was probably too big for such a small room sat atop the plush rug. It all seemed to work, and the effect was rather … cosy.
Draco’s nose twitched in annoyance at Potter’s apparent good taste.
‘Drinks are up,’ Potter announced, coming back from the kitchen with a tray of drinks and James.
Kasen stood immediately. ‘Hello,’ he said, addressing James.
James frowned, his black eyebrows knitting together. He seemed reluctant to speak, and Kasen, upon seeing this, frowned back, suddenly unsure.
Draco took his mug of tea from the tray, content to have it sugarless and so ignoring the little bowl of cubes. He tapped Kasen’s arm. ‘Go on. I thought you had something you wanted to say to James.’
Kasen appeared torn for a moment, stubbornness doing battle with manners. In the end, he took a deep breath and apologised. ‘I’m sorry about yesterday. I was very rude and I didn’t mean any of the things I said.’
‘Wow, why wasn’t it ever that easy for you?’ Potter mumbled, taking a seat next to a now glaring Draco.
‘What do you say, James?’ Potter encouraged.
‘… I’m sorry, too.’ It was barely above a whisper. ‘Didn’t mean it.’
Draco held out the blue plastic bag, smiling faintly when Kasen took it and held it out to James – minus Archibald.
‘My daddy bought us these.’
James took the bag with a large amount of uncertainty, peering inside with all the caution of a man waiting for a snake to jump out of a barrel. At the sight of the bags of sweets, his face transformed.
‘They’re for after lunch,’ Draco said quickly, before anyone got any ideas. ‘And only if there are no more arguments.’
Both boys nodded at him in silent agreement. The sight of them smiling at him and then smiling at each other relaxed Draco somewhat, and he eased himself more comfortably into the sofa.
Potter did the same
‘I brought Fuzzy-Felt for us to play with,’ Kasen said.
James’s eyes widened when he spotted the box lying flat on the table. ‘We could play in my bedroom!’
‘Okay!’
‘Do you want to come see Razzle and Dazzle?’
‘Okay!’
And then both boys were off, speeding away like two little roadrunners.
‘Razzle and Dazzle?’ Draco asked.
‘James’s gold fish,’ Potter supplied. ‘He got them last week. I made the mistake of taking him past a pet shop. It was either the fish or a rabbit the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.’
‘I see. Easy choice, then.’
Potter nodded emphatically and sipped at his tea. ‘Erm, had Kasen got any pets?’ he asked, clearly trying to keep up the illusion of pleasant conversation.
‘Not at the moment,’ Draco replied, also aware that things were starting to feel tense without the children present. ‘He did have gerbil, but she died last year. Kasen was very upset.’
‘Oh. Sorry about that.’
Draco nodded. ‘He was very attached.’
‘He didn’t want any more?’
‘No. Not at the time, anyway. He has mentioned wanting a puppy recently.’
‘Ah. Not good?’
‘Well, I’m not too worried. He’s also mentioned wanting a kitten, a horse, a guinea pig and a rat. Oh, and a goat.’
Potter laughed. ‘He doesn’t want much, then.’
‘Actually, I wouldn’t mind the goat. Maybe I wouldn’t have to mow the lawn quite so often.’ He was joking, of course. A goat would play havoc with his roses.
‘You mow your own lawn?’ Potter asked, looking quite serious.
Draco turned and stared at him, a little bit lost at the stupidity of the question. ‘Of course. What, do you think it just mows itself?’
‘Well … yeah. Or something. Magic, house-elves, whatever.’
‘Oh.’ Draco wasn’t sure how to explain and, really, he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to, at least not to Potter. ‘I don’t use magic for that sort of thing. I prefer to do it myself. And I don’t have a house-elf. I don’t need one. It’s just me and Kasen.’
‘Sorry,’ Potter said, reaching for what appeared to be a ginger nut and dunking it in his tea. ‘I just assumed –.’
‘You assumed wrong.’ Draco snatched up one of the biscuits and gave it a cautionary sniff before inserting it into his mug.
'You can hardly blame me, Malfoy. I don’t know anything about you anymore. You’ve been AWOL for so long. Even the Prophet has given up on you.’
‘Yes, I know,’ Draco said tiredly. ‘It certainly took them long enough.’
‘Is this where you disappeared to? Here?’
Draco nodded and fixed his gaze on the opposite wall where a large bookcase stood. There were several titles he recognised. ‘I couldn’t stay. Circumstances changed. I had Kasen to think of.’
‘Must have been hard.’
Potter was clearly trying to be the understanding ex-nemesis, but how could he even begin know how hard it had been? Or how awful it had been to walk down Diagon Alley to jeers and contemptuous stares? Or how it felt to be spat on by children? Or what it was like to rub shoulders with dark wizards because no one else would accept his business?
‘It wasn’t the life I wanted for Kasen.’
‘So, you’re living as a … Muggle?’ The question was asked carefully, as though Potter was expecting an eruption of lava to come spilling from the top of Draco’s head.
‘More or less. I still use magic, to entertain Kasen and for those times when clearing up a puddle of chocolate-cake-induced vomit is the only option aside from just leaving it and moving house.’
‘That’s fair enough,’ Potter said with a knowing nod. ‘You must have wards or spells up at your house, too, or something. The Prophet spent a long time looking for you. ’
‘Fidelius Charm.’
‘Same here.’
Draco raised a brow at that. So, Potter was running away, too? What could the Man-Who-Had-Everything possibly have to run away from?
‘Hiding, Potter?’
‘Yep.’
Taken aback, Draco put down his mug and abandoned the rest of his biscuit. ‘Who on earth from?’
Potter shrugged. ‘The Prophet, the Ministry, the general population.’
‘Just a few people, then?’ Draco asked.
Potter nodded. ‘Just a few,’ he agreed.
‘May I ask why?’
Draco watched Potter grin wryly. It wasn’t a happy expression at all. ‘Ask me another time?’
‘Fine,’ Draco said. ‘What else shall I pry into, then?’
‘Take your pick. But expect me to pry back.’
‘I see.’ Draco definitely wasn’t up for that. ‘How about you show me the rest of your house instead. I’d love to see your garden.’
Maybe he should have been making escape plans, but Draco found himself more relaxed in the company of another than he had in a long time. Even though it was Potter and most of his brain was screaming for him to leave and have nothing to do with him, his heart whispered and reminded him how lonely he was.
*****
Draco pulled the hood of his cape further over his face. He walked down a slim, pot-holed alley, glancing over his shoulder every fifth step and ignoring the rain as it thumped over his head in thick, heavy droplets.
He had a list, penned by his mother and given in haste. Draco pulled it out with slippery-wet fingers and checked the first address. He would find no friends on this list, but he would find shelter and help without any questions, in order of reliability, if he was lucky.
He wasn’t lucky.
Burned out and barely standing, his planned refuge had been taken away from him. His contact was gone.
He checked the list again. The next contact was fifty miles away.
‘Keep moving, Draco. Never stop. Don’t let them find you. Don’t let him find you.’
‘Please come with me!’
She’d stayed behind to buy him time, to cover for him, and by now she was probably dead or worse.
Draco looked up at the other buildings for the first time. Maybe someone else could help him? They all knew his father, after all. He blinked the rain out of his eyes, his chest full of impulsive hope.
The hope cracked and withered and Draco’s heart twisted painfully and fearfully at what he saw.
Everything was burned, destroyed, taken away.
Knockturn Alley was gone.
*****
After Potter had given Draco a tour of the garden and Draco had proclaimed it to be horrifically untidy, Potter had called the children down from upstairs and served lunch.
The pasta was nice enough, the smoked salmon a nice treat, but mostly Draco enjoyed observing Kasen and James. They chatted away quite happily and Draco briefly wished he had Kasen’s apparent ability to get on with anyone.
‘Does Kasen ever go to the day care centre in the village?’ Potter whispered to him.
Draco nodded. ‘Three days a week for half a day. More for him than me,’ he added, suddenly afraid that Potter would think he enjoyed abandoning his child.
‘Is it any good?’
Draco frowned. Of course it was good! ‘Absolutely. Why?’
‘I’m thinking of starting James there. I know First School isn’t far off, but I thought maybe it would be easier for him to get to know a few of the local kids first.’
‘He’s going to First School this year?’ Draco asked, surprised. He’d assumed that James was younger than Kasen and would perhaps miss out by a year. ‘Which one?’
‘Erm, the local one? I haven’t looked into it yet. Actually, I don’t even know if there is one.’
Draco rolled his eyes. No wonder Potter always had his friends gathered around him; he needed all the help he could get.
‘Of course there’s a local school. It’s supposed to be excellent. It does have a religious connection, unfortunately, but it’s Church of England so they’re not enormously bothered if you don’t walk around with a bible around your neck.’
‘You’re sending Kasen there? This year?’
‘Yes.’
Potter’s face lit up. Then it dropped again, dramatically. ‘What if they haven’t got room?’
Draco nearly choked on a piece of salmon. ‘You actually haven’t enrolled him yet?! Anywhere?!’
‘Uh, well, I’ve been busy and, erm, damn it. They’re going to be full up, aren’t they?’
Draco watched Potter look worriedly at James, who was completely oblivious to the whole conversation because he was involved in a heated debate with Kasen over Coco Pops versus Cheerios.
‘It would be nice for him to go with a friend,’ Potter said quietly. ‘He hasn’t had many.’
Draco’s heart broke, snapped into two horribly jagged pieces, and he mentally scolded himself for being such a big, soft pushover. He blamed Kasen entirely for his new reasonable demeanour and appalling kind streak.
‘As it happens, I’ve spoken with the Headmistress at length and we’ve struck up a very cordial relationship. Perhaps I could telephone her, see if there’s any possibility of getting James in.’
Not that Draco wanted nor needed Harry Potter in his life. But maybe he could do something for James, something to make up for reducing him to tears on their very first meeting. Not that Draco felt at all guilty.
‘You’d do that for us?’ Potter asked softly. ‘Draco, that’s –.’
‘Don’t make a fuss,’ Draco snapped. A wall had toppled over and he was struggling to pile the bricks back up.
Potter paused then nodded and plunged his fork back into his pile of pasta, shovelling it into his mouth. ‘Thank you,’ he said with his full mouth.
‘– even turns the milk chocolaty,’ Kasen’s firm voice insisted. ‘It says so on the telly.’
‘I prefer Crunchy Nut Cornflakes,’ Draco said, turning his attention back to his son. ‘I’m a Crunchy Nut.’
The boys giggled, and the conversation moved on to Transformers and the local shop prices compared to those at the nearby Sainsbury’s Superstore.
All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon despite a few awkward moments, Potter’s terrible attempt at trifle, and Kasen’s new insistence that he wanted two goldfish which he would name Izzy and Wizzy.
They left the Potter residence just after six, and Draco carried a tired Kasen most of the way home. The sun was hidden low behind the trees. The air was still hot and thin, but at least now there were long shadows to guide the way and provide comfort.
Draco walked slowly, enjoying the peaceful evening; the flutter of cabbage whites; the cooing of pigeons; and the way every tree, hedgerow and climbing shrub swayed in the breeze, as if they could sense his innermost feelings and wanted to dance to his calm.
Draco didn’t have any friends. He just had Kasen. But today Draco had felt a buzz of old feelings and the tiniest flicker of desire to reach out and connect to another adult.
He hadn’t felt that urge in the last four years.
TBC ...
For anyone outside of the UK who is curious to know what Fuzzy-Felt is: Oh how I wish I was young enough to play with this stuff again
Fandom: HP
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: Eleven years since he ran from Hogwarts and seven years since the end of the war, Draco has moved on. Now in his late twenties, Draco lives a reclusive life in a tiny village in Hampshire. Never in a million years does he expect to cross paths with Harry Potter again. But he does, and there are two, rather small and rather excitable, complications.
Beta done by
amejisuto. Thank you, darling.A/N: Compliant with all canon up to HBP so there may be spoilers for any of the first six books. As this fic is already planned out in full, it will not be compliant with book 7 and will therefore contain NO SPOILERS.
Previous Chapters: HERE
Ten o’clock in the morning and Draco was pacing the living room. Today, he was to visit the home of Harry Potter.
‘I could just not go,’ he said to himself. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. After all, we do hate each other. Why on earth would he want me in his house? Then again, he’d love it if I didn’t turn up. I can just see his face, the cocky little bastard. No, I won’t give him the satisfaction. I’ll go. I will. I will.’
Draco paused at the voile-covered window, glancing through the sheer fabric out to the front garden. He sighed dramatically and adjusted the tall, ivory-coloured figurine on the sill.
‘Yes. I’ll go; Kasen and James will apologise to each other properly, then we’ll leave. Perfect.’
‘Who are you talking to?’ a small voice asked from somewhere in the vicinity of Draco’s elbow.
Draco started and the figurine wobbled between his fingers. ‘No one,’ he said, settling the ornament back into place and stepping away. ‘Myself, perhaps.’
‘Do you want to talk to Archibald?’ Kasen thrust his toy dog into the air, its long, brown ears flopping once as it came to a stop.
Draco smiled. ‘No, thank you. I think I’m just about done anyway. Are you bringing him with you?’ he asked.
‘Yep. Can I take some other toys, too?’
Draco wasn’t sure about that. He in no way wanted to encourage any ‘settling in’ at Potter’s house. ‘I don’t know, Kasen. I’m sure James has some toys you could play with.’
Kasen wasn’t satisfied with that answer, so he begged, and pleaded, and whined until Draco gave in and allowed one more toy, which turned out to be a box of Fuzzy-Felt.
They left the house a little earlier than planned as Draco wanted to stop at the shop to pick up a couple of items, and because Kasen tended to drag his feet when forced to carry his own things.
‘It’s too heavy!’
‘Oh shush. It’s Fuzzy-Felt. How heavy can it be?’
It was a hot day again. The sky was a brilliant blue, not a cloud in sight, and the air smelled of cut grass and roses: Abraham D'Arby, if Draco wasn’t mistaken; his favourite rose. In short, it was a lovely day for a stroll.
It was not a lovely day to visit one’s old nemesis. Surely there should be lightning and brimstone! And sudden flooding between here and Old Parsonage Road!
But no such thing happened. The sky stayed bright and no divine entity broke the quiet afternoon tranquility with any sort of hellish damnation.
Draco and Kasen left the village shop just five minutes after they entered it, Draco now burdened with a plain blue plastic bag filled with Flying Saucers, two Scooby Doo fun packs and Archibald, who had finally been dropped one time too many.
Another ten minutes later, Draco and Kasen turned down into Old Parsonage Road.
‘Keep your eyes peeled for number twenty-eight, Kasen.’
Kasen nodded and bounced along happily in front, both hands firmly grasping the long, thin box of Fuzzy-Felt.
It was a nice road, Draco conceded. It was mostly comprised of detached properties, with two or three rows of semi-detached houses thrown in for good measure. One small block of flats was visible on the right as Draco passed, behind a row of tall elms which were perfectly spaced out and swaying gently in the warm breeze.
‘There!’ Kasen announced, pointing a single finger and dropping one side of the box so that it brushed the gritty pavement.
Harry Potter’s house wasn’t as Draco had imagined. It was actually quite a modest size, smaller than his house and definitely much older. Draco had thought Potter the sort to go for one of the more modern and spacious cottages that were gaining popularity throughout the county, even though he’d been struggling to picture any of those in Otterbourne. He didn’t know this side of the village all that well, but he’d always thought Old Parsonage Road to be a little more traditional than some places.
He’d been right about that.
Harry Potter lived in a charming little thatched cottage with a front door that was surrounded by variegated ivy and had obviously been designed for a hobbit. Oh, dear Merlin, Draco thought, he was probably going to have to duck through all the doorways and under a multitude of ceiling beams. Such fun.
As Potter had said it would be, the house was set back much further than the others, as though it had been built long before the road had been put in place. Draco made his way down the long path, Kasen now beside him and on his best behaviour.
‘Remember your apology to James,’ Draco reminded, and then he rung the doorbell and tried not to fidget or run away screaming. It wasn’t easy.
Potter took his time answering the door, which was just typical and probably deliberate.
‘Hi.’
‘Good afternoon, Potter. Not too early, are we?’ Draco added when Potter seemed to be frozen to the spot.
‘Oh, no, sorry, not at all. Come in.’ Potter looked down at Kasen and smiled. ‘What’s that you’ve got there?’ he asked as they entered.
‘FUZZY-FELT!’ Kasen announced, much louder than was strictly necessary.
Potter laughed. ‘Great! And what would you like to drink?’
‘SQUASH!’
‘Someone’s excitable today.’
‘Everyday,’ Draco said with weariness that only the parent of a four-year-old could exude.
Potter took Draco’s drink order and then directed them both over to the sofa, where Draco perched on the very edge of the middle cushion and Kasen sat on the floor at his feet. While Potter trotted off to fetch James from the garden and to fix the drinks, Draco took stock of his surroundings.
The living room was much smaller than anything Draco was used to. He felt like he should be feeling claustrophobic, but something told him that the tightness in his chest had nothing to do with square footage.
Potter certainly had done the place justice. The walls smelled like they were recently painted and were a charming fawn colour that Draco immediately coveted. Exposed beams covered the ceiling, and the polished oak floorboards were set off by a huge, shaggy brown rug that lay sprawled in the centre of the room like a great basking hound. A taupe coloured sofa, two matching arm chairs and an expansive oak coffee table that was probably too big for such a small room sat atop the plush rug. It all seemed to work, and the effect was rather … cosy.
Draco’s nose twitched in annoyance at Potter’s apparent good taste.
‘Drinks are up,’ Potter announced, coming back from the kitchen with a tray of drinks and James.
Kasen stood immediately. ‘Hello,’ he said, addressing James.
James frowned, his black eyebrows knitting together. He seemed reluctant to speak, and Kasen, upon seeing this, frowned back, suddenly unsure.
Draco took his mug of tea from the tray, content to have it sugarless and so ignoring the little bowl of cubes. He tapped Kasen’s arm. ‘Go on. I thought you had something you wanted to say to James.’
Kasen appeared torn for a moment, stubbornness doing battle with manners. In the end, he took a deep breath and apologised. ‘I’m sorry about yesterday. I was very rude and I didn’t mean any of the things I said.’
‘Wow, why wasn’t it ever that easy for you?’ Potter mumbled, taking a seat next to a now glaring Draco.
‘What do you say, James?’ Potter encouraged.
‘… I’m sorry, too.’ It was barely above a whisper. ‘Didn’t mean it.’
Draco held out the blue plastic bag, smiling faintly when Kasen took it and held it out to James – minus Archibald.
‘My daddy bought us these.’
James took the bag with a large amount of uncertainty, peering inside with all the caution of a man waiting for a snake to jump out of a barrel. At the sight of the bags of sweets, his face transformed.
‘They’re for after lunch,’ Draco said quickly, before anyone got any ideas. ‘And only if there are no more arguments.’
Both boys nodded at him in silent agreement. The sight of them smiling at him and then smiling at each other relaxed Draco somewhat, and he eased himself more comfortably into the sofa.
Potter did the same
‘I brought Fuzzy-Felt for us to play with,’ Kasen said.
James’s eyes widened when he spotted the box lying flat on the table. ‘We could play in my bedroom!’
‘Okay!’
‘Do you want to come see Razzle and Dazzle?’
‘Okay!’
And then both boys were off, speeding away like two little roadrunners.
‘Razzle and Dazzle?’ Draco asked.
‘James’s gold fish,’ Potter supplied. ‘He got them last week. I made the mistake of taking him past a pet shop. It was either the fish or a rabbit the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.’
‘I see. Easy choice, then.’
Potter nodded emphatically and sipped at his tea. ‘Erm, had Kasen got any pets?’ he asked, clearly trying to keep up the illusion of pleasant conversation.
‘Not at the moment,’ Draco replied, also aware that things were starting to feel tense without the children present. ‘He did have gerbil, but she died last year. Kasen was very upset.’
‘Oh. Sorry about that.’
Draco nodded. ‘He was very attached.’
‘He didn’t want any more?’
‘No. Not at the time, anyway. He has mentioned wanting a puppy recently.’
‘Ah. Not good?’
‘Well, I’m not too worried. He’s also mentioned wanting a kitten, a horse, a guinea pig and a rat. Oh, and a goat.’
Potter laughed. ‘He doesn’t want much, then.’
‘Actually, I wouldn’t mind the goat. Maybe I wouldn’t have to mow the lawn quite so often.’ He was joking, of course. A goat would play havoc with his roses.
‘You mow your own lawn?’ Potter asked, looking quite serious.
Draco turned and stared at him, a little bit lost at the stupidity of the question. ‘Of course. What, do you think it just mows itself?’
‘Well … yeah. Or something. Magic, house-elves, whatever.’
‘Oh.’ Draco wasn’t sure how to explain and, really, he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to, at least not to Potter. ‘I don’t use magic for that sort of thing. I prefer to do it myself. And I don’t have a house-elf. I don’t need one. It’s just me and Kasen.’
‘Sorry,’ Potter said, reaching for what appeared to be a ginger nut and dunking it in his tea. ‘I just assumed –.’
‘You assumed wrong.’ Draco snatched up one of the biscuits and gave it a cautionary sniff before inserting it into his mug.
'You can hardly blame me, Malfoy. I don’t know anything about you anymore. You’ve been AWOL for so long. Even the Prophet has given up on you.’
‘Yes, I know,’ Draco said tiredly. ‘It certainly took them long enough.’
‘Is this where you disappeared to? Here?’
Draco nodded and fixed his gaze on the opposite wall where a large bookcase stood. There were several titles he recognised. ‘I couldn’t stay. Circumstances changed. I had Kasen to think of.’
‘Must have been hard.’
Potter was clearly trying to be the understanding ex-nemesis, but how could he even begin know how hard it had been? Or how awful it had been to walk down Diagon Alley to jeers and contemptuous stares? Or how it felt to be spat on by children? Or what it was like to rub shoulders with dark wizards because no one else would accept his business?
‘It wasn’t the life I wanted for Kasen.’
‘So, you’re living as a … Muggle?’ The question was asked carefully, as though Potter was expecting an eruption of lava to come spilling from the top of Draco’s head.
‘More or less. I still use magic, to entertain Kasen and for those times when clearing up a puddle of chocolate-cake-induced vomit is the only option aside from just leaving it and moving house.’
‘That’s fair enough,’ Potter said with a knowing nod. ‘You must have wards or spells up at your house, too, or something. The Prophet spent a long time looking for you. ’
‘Fidelius Charm.’
‘Same here.’
Draco raised a brow at that. So, Potter was running away, too? What could the Man-Who-Had-Everything possibly have to run away from?
‘Hiding, Potter?’
‘Yep.’
Taken aback, Draco put down his mug and abandoned the rest of his biscuit. ‘Who on earth from?’
Potter shrugged. ‘The Prophet, the Ministry, the general population.’
‘Just a few people, then?’ Draco asked.
Potter nodded. ‘Just a few,’ he agreed.
‘May I ask why?’
Draco watched Potter grin wryly. It wasn’t a happy expression at all. ‘Ask me another time?’
‘Fine,’ Draco said. ‘What else shall I pry into, then?’
‘Take your pick. But expect me to pry back.’
‘I see.’ Draco definitely wasn’t up for that. ‘How about you show me the rest of your house instead. I’d love to see your garden.’
Maybe he should have been making escape plans, but Draco found himself more relaxed in the company of another than he had in a long time. Even though it was Potter and most of his brain was screaming for him to leave and have nothing to do with him, his heart whispered and reminded him how lonely he was.
*****
Draco pulled the hood of his cape further over his face. He walked down a slim, pot-holed alley, glancing over his shoulder every fifth step and ignoring the rain as it thumped over his head in thick, heavy droplets.
He had a list, penned by his mother and given in haste. Draco pulled it out with slippery-wet fingers and checked the first address. He would find no friends on this list, but he would find shelter and help without any questions, in order of reliability, if he was lucky.
He wasn’t lucky.
Burned out and barely standing, his planned refuge had been taken away from him. His contact was gone.
He checked the list again. The next contact was fifty miles away.
‘Keep moving, Draco. Never stop. Don’t let them find you. Don’t let him find you.’
‘Please come with me!’
She’d stayed behind to buy him time, to cover for him, and by now she was probably dead or worse.
Draco looked up at the other buildings for the first time. Maybe someone else could help him? They all knew his father, after all. He blinked the rain out of his eyes, his chest full of impulsive hope.
The hope cracked and withered and Draco’s heart twisted painfully and fearfully at what he saw.
Everything was burned, destroyed, taken away.
Knockturn Alley was gone.
*****
After Potter had given Draco a tour of the garden and Draco had proclaimed it to be horrifically untidy, Potter had called the children down from upstairs and served lunch.
The pasta was nice enough, the smoked salmon a nice treat, but mostly Draco enjoyed observing Kasen and James. They chatted away quite happily and Draco briefly wished he had Kasen’s apparent ability to get on with anyone.
‘Does Kasen ever go to the day care centre in the village?’ Potter whispered to him.
Draco nodded. ‘Three days a week for half a day. More for him than me,’ he added, suddenly afraid that Potter would think he enjoyed abandoning his child.
‘Is it any good?’
Draco frowned. Of course it was good! ‘Absolutely. Why?’
‘I’m thinking of starting James there. I know First School isn’t far off, but I thought maybe it would be easier for him to get to know a few of the local kids first.’
‘He’s going to First School this year?’ Draco asked, surprised. He’d assumed that James was younger than Kasen and would perhaps miss out by a year. ‘Which one?’
‘Erm, the local one? I haven’t looked into it yet. Actually, I don’t even know if there is one.’
Draco rolled his eyes. No wonder Potter always had his friends gathered around him; he needed all the help he could get.
‘Of course there’s a local school. It’s supposed to be excellent. It does have a religious connection, unfortunately, but it’s Church of England so they’re not enormously bothered if you don’t walk around with a bible around your neck.’
‘You’re sending Kasen there? This year?’
‘Yes.’
Potter’s face lit up. Then it dropped again, dramatically. ‘What if they haven’t got room?’
Draco nearly choked on a piece of salmon. ‘You actually haven’t enrolled him yet?! Anywhere?!’
‘Uh, well, I’ve been busy and, erm, damn it. They’re going to be full up, aren’t they?’
Draco watched Potter look worriedly at James, who was completely oblivious to the whole conversation because he was involved in a heated debate with Kasen over Coco Pops versus Cheerios.
‘It would be nice for him to go with a friend,’ Potter said quietly. ‘He hasn’t had many.’
Draco’s heart broke, snapped into two horribly jagged pieces, and he mentally scolded himself for being such a big, soft pushover. He blamed Kasen entirely for his new reasonable demeanour and appalling kind streak.
‘As it happens, I’ve spoken with the Headmistress at length and we’ve struck up a very cordial relationship. Perhaps I could telephone her, see if there’s any possibility of getting James in.’
Not that Draco wanted nor needed Harry Potter in his life. But maybe he could do something for James, something to make up for reducing him to tears on their very first meeting. Not that Draco felt at all guilty.
‘You’d do that for us?’ Potter asked softly. ‘Draco, that’s –.’
‘Don’t make a fuss,’ Draco snapped. A wall had toppled over and he was struggling to pile the bricks back up.
Potter paused then nodded and plunged his fork back into his pile of pasta, shovelling it into his mouth. ‘Thank you,’ he said with his full mouth.
‘– even turns the milk chocolaty,’ Kasen’s firm voice insisted. ‘It says so on the telly.’
‘I prefer Crunchy Nut Cornflakes,’ Draco said, turning his attention back to his son. ‘I’m a Crunchy Nut.’
The boys giggled, and the conversation moved on to Transformers and the local shop prices compared to those at the nearby Sainsbury’s Superstore.
All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon despite a few awkward moments, Potter’s terrible attempt at trifle, and Kasen’s new insistence that he wanted two goldfish which he would name Izzy and Wizzy.
They left the Potter residence just after six, and Draco carried a tired Kasen most of the way home. The sun was hidden low behind the trees. The air was still hot and thin, but at least now there were long shadows to guide the way and provide comfort.
Draco walked slowly, enjoying the peaceful evening; the flutter of cabbage whites; the cooing of pigeons; and the way every tree, hedgerow and climbing shrub swayed in the breeze, as if they could sense his innermost feelings and wanted to dance to his calm.
Draco didn’t have any friends. He just had Kasen. But today Draco had felt a buzz of old feelings and the tiniest flicker of desire to reach out and connect to another adult.
He hadn’t felt that urge in the last four years.
TBC ...
For anyone outside of the UK who is curious to know what Fuzzy-Felt is: Oh how I wish I was young enough to play with this stuff again
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-28 03:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-28 03:50 pm (UTC)The Wizarding world are a bunch of hypocrites, that are probably jealous of the Malfoys.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-28 04:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-28 04:53 pm (UTC)~ It does have a religious connection, unfortunately, but it’s Church of England so they’re not enormously bothered if you don’t walk around with a bible around your neck. ~
Too funny!
I had a hunch as to what Fuzzy-Felt was, so I checked out the link and I WAS RIGHT! I REMEMBER IT! I'm Canadian...perhaps we have the same toys?? I have an incredible urge to go find some, sit cross-legged in the middle of my floor, surrounded by Fuzzy Felt!
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-28 05:50 pm (UTC)LOL! Hon, that's completely adorable! I just love the way this is progressing, at a nice pace, no hurry. Harry and Draco are on the way to connecting, but their little boys come first. And will enable them to meet frequently. Yay!
(no subject)
From:Parity Transformations 3
Date: 2007-07-28 06:05 pm (UTC)I like that Draco is (a little reluctantly) helping Harry and James out. And Draco blames Kasen for his demeanour and kind streak. LOL funny! :-)
Looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Re: Parity Transformations 3
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-28 10:27 pm (UTC)I love the children, and how obvious it is that Harry and Draco adore their sons.
Can't wait to read more!
One tiny error that I noticed, it's Prophet, not Profit. Nothing major, just thought you might like to know.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-29 02:20 am (UTC)I'm thoroughly enjoying this, sweetie!
♥
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-29 05:07 am (UTC)i'm greatly intrigued (even more than i was after chapter 2!) about why Harry appears to have moved so quickly - any parent with a child that i know of looks for good schools in an area as a matter of course when deciding to move house. so the fact that Harry didn't... and the comment about James not having played with kids his own age... i'm also a little worried/curious over why James might be thought of as younger than he is... small for his age for a reason? you've got me all angsty! *grins* bravo!
can't wait for more, i love that Kasen and James are getting on. little hurts are so easily forgotten at that age...
cheers!
xoxox
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-29 02:03 pm (UTC)Wow this is really good :)
Looking forward to the next part!!!
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-29 11:07 pm (UTC)And why are you too old for fuzzy felt? If you want to play with it, do so. I still love legos.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-30 01:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:*bounce*
Date: 2007-07-30 01:20 pm (UTC)I'm so in love with this fic! Write more, more, more!
Never really got into the HP fandom, was to much to get absorbed by two, but now that you've started writing I might take it up again. And maybe some Harry/Draco too. Most of the few things I've read were Harry/Ron.
Hugs!
Maddie
Re: *bounce*
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-31 04:37 pm (UTC)P.S. I'm not from the UK, but I remember fuzzy felt. =]
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-08-02 03:46 am (UTC)More soon, please??
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-08-02 11:01 pm (UTC)I miss Denmark and the cheese. Oh, and my family too.
This is just a lovely story, and those two boys are going to wreak havoc the likes of which the villiage has never seen.
Can't wait for more.
~Alice
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-07 11:07 pm (UTC)It' lovely so far, great interaction and I love how the kids are another aspect rather than taking up the whole story - a reason I'm usually leery of kid-fics. Reads very well, too.
Only thing is that just had me go 'eh?' was First School. Is that a specific name, or a regional difference - it's always been Primary to me (South).
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-04 06:02 pm (UTC)(these made me laugh)
because Kasen tended to drag his feet when forced to carry his own things.
Remember your apology to James,’ Draco reminded, and then he rung the doorbell and tried not to fidget or run away screaming. It wasn’t easy.
Draco’s nose twitched in annoyance at Potter’s apparent good taste.
And then both boys were off, speeding away like two little roadrunners.
‘Don’t make a fuss,’ Draco snapped. A wall had toppled over and he was struggling to pile the bricks back up.
This was very sweet and funny, thank you *hugs*
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-09 12:56 am (UTC)Kasen is so sweet that i think i want one, i can feel my ovary's vibrating (or i have indigestion )
i just love this wonderful story!
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-17 06:55 pm (UTC)I. Love. This. Line. :3 I can just imagine a panicked Draco desperately trying to repair the breach.
I'm really enjoying this fic so far! I'm especially enjoying the flashbacks. They're really show the stark contrast between Draco's past and his current life. Can't believe I didn't stumble upon this earlier!
Thanks for the link to the Fuzzy-Felt. I was really at a loss. *laughs*
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-15 11:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From: