Chapter Text
After the battle, Draco was kept in a low-security cell right in the Auror office area, instead of down in holding with everyone else. On the downside, there was little privacy, and he had to ask someone to escort him to the loo, but on the upside, he wasn't bored.
He chatted with whomever deigned to speak to him and just sat and observed when he was ignored. One of the night time security guards spent his lunch break with Draco, when he saw him sitting quietly in the otherwise nearly-vacant department, which was nice. What was even nicer was that the night time security would bring him tea.
He was there for two days, despite cooperating and getting assistance from his solicitor, before the pink haired Auror came over and unlocked his cell.
"You're being released, but you are to make yourself available should the Ministry need you to be cooperative," she told him. "I'm afraid Malfoy Manor is still an active crime scene. Do you have somewhere else to go where we can contact you if we need you?" she continued in a brusque tone.
Draco thought about it for a moment and nodded, "Yes... we - I have a townhouse in London. A Black property that was part of Mother’s dowry, I believe. It’s in Mayfair, which isn't terribly far from here."
"Black, as in...?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"Oh, how rude of me," Draco said, holding out his hand. "I believe I heard your name is Tonks. If I’m not mistaken, you're my first cousin. It's a bit late to introduce myself. I wish we had met under better circumstances, though I suppose they could also have been worse."
Tonks gave him an amused look as she shook his hand. "You're not what I expected you to be, Malfoy."
"I am just as much of a prat and stuck-up arsehole as everyone has probably told you,” Draco said flippantly, straightening his robes. “I'm just on my best behavior because you're an Auror and any misdeed that I may be accused of, other than having a shitty personality and being an admitted bully, was performed under duress."
Tonks snorted and escorted Draco to a desk. "I'll need your temporary address. Don't leave town. You’ll be getting an owl soon with your court date. Don’t miss it."
Draco gave her his address, then waited patiently for her to give back his wand and personal effects. He was given a list of things he could and could not do while he awaited trial before he was escorted out.
It was nice to take a real shower again. And be in a real bed. The house wasn't as meticulously kept as the Manor, but it was serviceable and it came with a house elf that saw to his every need.
That very afternoon, he met with his solicitor about a number of issues and, as his 18th birthday approached, Draco sought to resolve the little matter of his engagement.
~~~~~~~~~
Draco sat in his parlour with Lord Adrius Greengrass sitting across from him looking a tad desperate. Apparently being a Death Eater would not free him from his engagement, in fact, that stain on his reputation, and the other one that he’d been trying to obfuscate by “dating” Pansy, were all the more reason for Greengrass to hold his ground.
Cards on the table, Draco learned that Astoria Greengrass had Blood Malediction and would not live very long. At worst, she had two years, at best, five to eight. The agreement Greengrass and his father had in place was borderline extortionate, and in Lucius' favour. There was a clause in there about heirs and in return, the Greengrass family would be allowed to remain neutral during the war.
There was a lot more to it than that to this deal. For example, it forgave debts that Greengrass had, but if Astoria could not produce a Malfoy heir, Greengrass would have to give up his other daughter to be wed to Draco and the Malfoys would eventually absorb Greengrass assets.
It really made his head spin, and he was sure his solicitors would tell him the document was iron-clad. Presumably, they’d been the ones to draft it in the first place.
But curiously, when Draco offered to let Greengrass off the hook, and forgive the debts without the marriage, the man refused. He tugged at Draco's (hidden) empathy and the heartstrings he didn't know he had when he told Draco that though Astoria was terminal and had a poor prognosis, all she'd ever wanted was to have a family of her own.
The words struck Draco with more force than he imagined. Granted, the circumstances were wildly different, but she had the same dream as Harry. It made his resolve shatter. He wouldn’t ever be able to give Harry his dream, but he did have the power to grant another friend that same wish.
He was aware that Greengrass was still talking and forced himself to focus. In return for giving his daughter what she wanted in the last few years of her life, Draco would receive public support from Greengrass and his network, where he might otherwise have been shunned for his family's connection to the war.
And having a life after the war was something he desperately wanted.
Greengrass would not dissolve the engagement, but he was happy to amend the terms. In exchange for a few years of his life, for pretending to be a good, doting husband, he would be free. He would have public support from an influential family, which would count for so very much when he had his sights set on politics. He could not afford to pass that sort of social currency up. They would even stand with him when he eventually showed that the rumors about him and his proclivities were not unfounded... and he would (potentially) have an heir.
The conversation was draining, but the end result was the same. He could not get out a magical nuptial contract. But at least the terms were more palatable now that they would benefit him rather than Lucius.
He just had to put his happiness on hold for a little longer, but now he had relative assurances that he would not be miserable.
Draco vowed this would be the last thing he would ever not have a choice in. This would be the final thing his father would control.
Shortly thereafter, he was given his trial date, and after being acquitted of all Death-Eater-related charges, the Wizengamot saw fit to punish him for the least of his offenses. Draco could scarcely believe they were holding him to account for becoming an Animagus and not registering “in a timely manner”.
His argument that the circumstances precluded him from the ability to register, given that he was on the run, and since this was the one thing they could proverbially hang him on, they did. In the end, he was given a house-arrest sentence that began that very day in mid June through the end of August. Basically, roughly the same amount of days that he’d been an animagus before he’d been arrested.
It was ludicrous, but his solicitor told him to accept the slap on the hand and bite his tongue. So that’s exactly what he did.
~~~~~~~~~
Since the very moment he'd killed Voldemort, Harry's life had been a complete whirlwind. It had been non-stop and possibly even more chaotic than before.
The Weasleys had basically adopted him and practically forced him to come and live with them after the Aurors seized Grimmauld Place for their post-war investigation. He was grateful, the Weasleys loved him and he loved them, but the Burrow was incredibly hectic and he never had any time to himself.
There was so much to do, and everyone wanted him to do it. Everyone wanted a piece of him and he felt like he was giving everyone everything he had, leaving nothing for himself.
There were funerals, interviews and trials he had to attend.
He was helping the Aurors put together their very extensive enquiry into the war and exactly how everything had happened for the records.
The Prophet obviously wanted to speak to him a lot too and Harry indulged a little. Everyone had so many unanswered questions and Harry was one of the only people who knew all the tiny details, but it was to The Quibbler that he gave the full story to... or most of it anyway. There were a few details that would always only be between him and Draco. He sat down with Luna and her father over several sessions. The public deserved to know what happened and Harry wanted it said in his own words, making sure he thanked everyone who helped him and told the story of everyone who played a part, including Draco of course.
Then there were all the meetings at the Ministry about reform and how they were going to move forward. Oh so many meetings. He always had someone telling him what the next thing in his schedule was.
Yes, he was extremely busy.
That didn't stop him thinking about Draco though. True to his word, he spoke at Draco's trial. He was absolutely adamant that Draco wouldn't go to Azkaban and spoke passionately on his behalf. Behind closed doors when the Wizengamot withdrew for a break, Harry begged Kingsley to let Draco off but Kingsley said he couldn't go completely unpunished. So he got a few months house arrest. Harry supposed it could have been a lot worse and he'd done his best... For now. But he wouldn't give up.
He missed Draco more than he thought he would. A lot more. It was an ache in heart that wouldn't go away and he didn't know what it meant. It confused him. He supposed it was just because they spent so much time together just the two of them, relying solely on each other.
They were friends, best friends he supposed, but the feeling was more than he'd ever felt for Hermione or Ron. He felt like he was missing a part of him and it just didn’t feel right but his brain was mush these days and he could barely make sense of anything. It was beyond exhausting.
Harry didn't exactly know where Draco was. He asked through official channels at the Ministry and got nothing. Then he begged Tonks to tell him but she would only give him cryptic clues. When he pieced together the various bits of information she slipped him he thought it was something about a Black London property which narrowed it down a lot but he couldn’t get any other clues from her and the goblins wouldn’t help him. Apparently, Draco wasn't allowed visitors anyway or even mail. Not that Harry would have the time to visit much anyway but still… he would have tried. He wanted to try.
The only time he had to himself was at night. Sharing a room with Ron again wasn't fun and Ron's snores kept him awake even if his own thoughts didn't. So he did what owls do, he flew. After watching the sunset he transformed himself into the majestic Great horned owl and there, in the night skies, he found his freedom, his peace, his solitude.
He couldn't help but keep flying to the grounds of Malfoy Manor just to check on them even though he knew the Ministry had seized them. There, he would wonder whether Draco was sleeping or not and where he was. He often thought of their last night together in the cave where he woke with Draco in his arms. At the time he'd been incredibly embarrassed and they brushed it off, didn't speak of it. Now he found he longed for it but he still didn't really know why.
Fortunately, he had a lot of time at night to fly and scout out locations. He even tried Grimmauld but it had been abandoned once the Ministry was through with it. Clearly The Black family owned more than one London house, of course they would. Draco wouldn’t be seen dead in Islington though, Harry thought, and really, Sirius’ cousins must have grown up somewhere nicer.
Finally, one day in late August nearing the end of Draco's house arrest, he thought he stumbled upon the right place. It was a pretty little white townhouse in Mayfair with a shiny black front door and fancy fairy lights in the neatly trimmed green bushes. He was sure he caught a glimpse of Draco's hair through the window. It had a lovely little balcony so he perched himself on the railings and waited to see if he could see more or if Draco would spot him.
~~~~~~~~~
Draco was going a bit stir crazy, but still, he knew he got off easy. His mail was strictly monitored and only his solicitor was allowed to visit. He was glad that he’d had the opportunity to meet with Lord Greengrass before his trial, otherwise he’d be worrying himself into knots. As it was, he had plenty of time to make plans in his solitude. House arrest was a bit lonely, but he’d gotten through the better part of it and only had a few more days to put up with.
At least they'd let him have a copy of
The Prophet
and
The Quibbler
. Sure, the Auror that sat in his foyer at all hours of the day and night had to go through each page every day, but Draco suspected that it was the only form of entertainment the poor chap ever got. Granted there was a rota, but none of the three ever spoke to him. Not really.
Draco didn’t really care. He left them to their own devices and they left him alone.
The Quibbler
was interesting in that it was practically fiction masquerading as news. Still, it was charming and entertaining. A great mental palate cleanse after Draco dove into whatever
The Prophet
was reporting on any given day.
It was through his study of what
The Prophet
reported, as well as what they conspicuously
didn’t
report on, that really solidified Draco’s resolve to get involved in politics and work to change the world he lived in.
Between plans and schemes and conjecture on his part, as he had little better to do, Draco would catch glimpses of Potter. He’d be in the background of this memorial, looking exhausted. Or he’d be front and centre as they reported on the Aurors’ new training regime and the ongoing investigations looking determined to the untrained eye.
Draco, however, could see the stiffness in the posture. He could see the dark shadows under his eyes. He could see the helplessness in how he carried himself, being swept up in someone else’s expectation of him. And it made him sick.
Why couldn’t they leave Potter alone?
Then the trials began and there were more snippets of Potter’s life. He could be seen coming and going from the courtroom. He was spotted chatting with this influential wizard or this up-and-coming witch.
There were opinion pieces of when he would settle down with the Weasley girl or when he would officially take his place amongst the Auror ranks. There was speculation about his getting fast-tracked through the vetting program and what he would do now that he was the Saviour Of The World. Would he have his sights set on becoming the next Minister for Magic? Would he be content with just staying in the DMLE?
Everyone seemed to want a piece of Potter.
And even
The Quibbler
wasn’t free of Potter news, but at least the Lovegoods seemed to be focusing on things like Potter’s kindness toward children. How he was spotted buying ice cream in Diagon Alley and then subsequently spent an hour signing autographs for children.
That bit made Draco smile. He knew Potter had a soft spot for children and it was nice that
The Quibbler
humanized Harry the way it did. And it made Draco wonder if anyone else in Potter’s inner circle could see what he was seeing from the other side of a news article.
Did anyone notice how wretched Potter looked as time went on? Where was his support network? Did Potter have anyone to tell him to get some rest? Why were they letting this go on?
Hopefully, the world would get off Potter’s back soon.
Draco was winding down for the night when he saw movement on his balcony and curiously went to investigate. He pulled back the curtain and gaped at the large owl. He was gorgeous! He had large luminous eyes and a mess of dark brown and black feathers atop his head that looked invitingly soft.
He opened the door and stepped outside, wondering what it would be doing here. Post owls should be going through the proper channels and the bloke in his foyer should be vetting his correspondence. He looked at the creature’s claws for a letter or parcel, ready to tell him to go down to the front door, but noticed it didn't have a letter, making him suspicious.
"You're not a post owl, are you?" he said out loud, looking from the claws back up to the bird's wide, unblinking eyes.
Harry tried to smile, but as an owl, he wasn't sure if it really came across. He did look up at Draco with his bright green eyes though and willed him to recognise him as he gently shook his head.
"I only saw you transform once but I was a snake. My eyes are not as good as a snake. I was concerned with getting eaten or otherwise killed. I never really saw your bird form," Draco said as he took a seat near the owl.
"Those eyes give you away,” he said conversationally, crossing his legs as he settled into the wrought iron chair on the small balcony. “Did you ever register? Don't forget, that's the charge they got me on. That's why I'm not allowed visitors and why my post is monitored. It's too easy for me to sneak out in someone's pocket or in a parcel. The garden is also warded so I can't just slip through the fence."
Harry shook his head again. No he never registered. He wanted to tell Draco that this was their little secret, that he was the only one who knew but he didn't know how.
"Lucky. I'm registered now. The Aurors didn't buy that you'd transfigured me into a snake,” Draco said, as if it were common for him to be conversing with an owl like this. Perhaps he was more stir-crazy than he thought. “They allegedly went easy on me because of the extreme circumstances and my part in helping you, but I know that the Wizengamot wanted to punish me for something and the animagus thing is what stuck. Don't get caught, okay?"
Harry inwardly chuckled and then leaned forward to nuzzle Draco's hand with the top of his head.
Draco pet him gently, smiling a little at how soft his feathers were.
"Figures you'd have crazy feathers on your head," he chuckled. "You shouldn't stay much longer. My house arrest is almost over, thank Merlin. I don't want to give them a reason to extend it. When it's over, I want to know how you found me."
Harry nodded his head and gave Draco's finger an affectionate little nibble before spreading his wings majestically and flying off into the night sky, showing off a little with a few flips and loops as if he were on a broom.
Draco laughed to himself as he watched Harry show off then went back inside.
It was nice to know Harry had gone out of his way to say hello. It made him feel warm inside, but he squashed the feeling. His minor crush was not something he could indulge in. Not now, not ever.
~~~~~~~
Harry flew by to say hello to Draco briefly a few more times over the next few days while Draco finished out his house arrest. He never stayed long, sometimes he didn’t even stop for a ‘chat’. The last thing he wanted was to get Draco into trouble but he just wanted to see him to check he was alright and to show he cared.
When Draco's sentence was over Harry wrote to him saying they should go for a friendly lunch one time but getting around to actually setting the date was the problem. His days were busy and it wasn’t proper to just pop in after midnight, when the insomnia hit. Still, he wanted to be clear he very much still intended on being Draco's friend.
Before they managed to schedule said lunch, however, Harry saw something in the paper that very much made him want to see Draco and when he got back to his new London flat there was a very expensive looking envelope waiting for him too. Technically, he had dinner plans but screw it, they'd get on fine without him.
He quickly showered and changed and decided to go straight round there. It was only when he knocked on Draco's door with his invitation in hand that Harry realised it was probably rude to turn up unannounced. Oh well. He'd done it now.
Draco was surprised to have someone come around, but he went to answer the door himself anyway, instead of having the elf do it. It had been a few days, nearly a week actually, since his house arrest had ended, but Draco hadn’t been out much. He was still a little leery of being out in the world.
But he could handle answering the door.
When he saw who was standing there, he couldn't help the little smile.
"This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting a dinner guest, but I'm sure Kibby won't mind putting together another plate,” Draco said, opening the door wider. “Come in.”
"Oh right, it is dinner time,” Harry said, only now realising this was the worst time to come round unexpectedly. He suddenly felt rather foolish and awkwardly ran his hand through his hair as he fidgeted on the doorstep. “Are you sure? I'm sorry, I... This is probably really rude. I don't need dinner, I don't want to put you out. I... I just wanted to chat."
"Nonsense, come on in," Draco said, stepping aside. "It's been a while since I've fed you. Tonight is just a simple pesto tortellini and garlic bread. Join me," he insisted, leading Harry in.
"Yeah?" Harry instantly perked up, forgetting the reason he even came over. "That would be really nice actually, thanks. I've been wanting to see you for ages. I'm sorry I didn't get around to organising lunch. My life is a busy chaotic mess, I never know what I'm doing. Hermione usually tells me but then she just moans at me that she's not my secretary and she keeps telling me to get a secretary but I don’t want to get a secretary because that would mean accepting that this is my life now and… and I’m rambling. Sorry," He finished with an apologetic smile.
Draco led Harry to a small dining room where a bread basket and some wine was waiting for them. "I read the paper... I've seen how busy you are. It's okay. It's not like I was able to have visitors until recently, but I appreciated the owl visits."
"I didn't want to get you in trouble but I just wanted you to know I hadn't forgotten about you, about our friendship. It was very frustrating to not be able to even write to you," Harry said as he followed Draco in.
"Merlin," he breathed out as he got a proper look at Draco. He took a seat and gave Draco a warm look. "It really is good to see you."
Draco smiled a little, taking his own seat, "I'm glad you're here. It's good to see you too."
"I didn't realise how much I missed you," Harry said honestly, showing a little bit of emotion that he didn't know he felt.
"Sorry," He half chuckled, a little embarrassed and put his head in his hands. He was feeling suddenly... He couldn't name it exactly, it was just really good to see Draco. "I have a real urge to hug you, I just... I'm being weird, I know. I'm just shattered these days."
"I am not opposed to a hug if you need one," Draco said softly, standing with his arms open for Harry. "Go on, then."
Harry stood up and wrapped his arms around Draco instantly feeling calmer.
"Fuck," He breathed out after what felt like a very long hug. "I did need that. I forgot how you always seem to be able to calm me down and make me feel... I dunno. How do you do that? No one else calms me like you do."
"Not sure," Draco said, rubbing Harry's back, soothingly. "But I'm glad I can help," he said as he stepped back.
Just then the elf came in with dinner for them both and Draco offered him a smile. "You know you can always come over when you're feeling overwhelmed."
"Can I? That... I wouldn't want to get under your feet. Seems rude to just turn up. Plus I feel overwhelmed like... all the time. I'd be here every day," Harry chuckled as he sat back down and thanked the elf.
"I don't mind," Draco shrugged, retaking his seat. "I have the space. It's... strangely lonely sometimes."
"I'm sorry you've been lonely," Harry sighed, that thought suddenly made him quite sad. "I'll make more of an effort to see you. I have the opposite problem. I'm very much enjoying finally having my own space in my new flat if I'm honest."
Draco gave him a genuine smile. It was about time Potter had something of his own.
"Good. I'm glad you have that going for you,” he said, plucking his fork from its setting. “Don't mind me. This is just the product of house arrest. It shouldn't be a problem for long."
"No… True." Harry said slowly as he remembered the reason he came in the first place.