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Things Fall Apart, But Then You Build Again	By : zeldaofarel Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 13943 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 7
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Author's Notes: I'm baaaack. Yep, finally, I'm posting a new chapter. Since my last chapter life had been busy and full of being ill too, so my muse was scared off by my aches and pains. Still not all okay, because I developed a pretty bad neck problem. That's what I get for working in front of a computer all day.

Another reason why it took so long was that I wrote ahead. I'm actually working on chapter 13 now and I have that already half way done. I've taken to watching some very inspirational music videos. Another thing I've done is that I've created a Zelda of Arel Facebook page. There you can find what inspires me, pictures I use to help me with descriptions, Adrian included, and ideas I may have. You can also provide feedback there if you want to. So go like! It's also a great way to see my story updates in your News Feed. Updates should be coming once every week for the next chapters.

If you haven't read my little ‘spin-off' story, you can read it on most sites where I have this up. It's about how Hermione got ready for the ball in chapter 9.

As always, I want to thank my wonderful betas. I first want to thank Icicle, who stuck with me. I know I've been bad with updates, but she's much better at them. Then I also want to thank my new beta, the brilliant Faye. She is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement on Facebook. Go like the Drarry Shippers page too, which is admined in part by her. It's a great place to discuss Drarry fanfics. A bit of warning though, because the rating of the page is above 18, just like my story's and also my own page's.

So to wrap it all up, please read and review, then go and like.

Chapter 10: Aftermath

Harry woke to the sound of someone banging on his bedroom door. He got up quickly and ran to it. Luckily, Ginny was always a heavy sleeper and didn't rouse to the noise, but Harry didn't want to take his chances. He swung the door open and Ron almost crashed into him.

"Ron, what on earth are you doing?" he asked in a whisper. "We were sleeping. Go down to the sitting room and I'll put on a dressing gown."

The redhead just stared at him, and then turned to walk towards the stairs, grumbling under his breath the entire way.

Harry did as promised and in a few moments joined the other man on his couch.

"Really, Ron, what were you thinking?" He no longer whispered, but still didn't shout like he wanted to.

"Harry, I couldn't sleep! That Bitch! With Malfoy of all blokes! She's probably shagging both of them!" He sprang up to pace around; he could never stay sit while ranting.

"Ron, it's none of your business anymore," he tried to placate his former best friend. "She left. You're getting a divorce. Go home and sleep off the alcohol." Harry could smell the cheap firewhisky from where he was sitting.

"No, Harry! Don't you try to send me home! That bitch is still wearing my name and as long as she does, whatever she is up to reflects on me."

"But what can you do about it?"

"I can do something! I'm going to go and speed up the divorce process." There was conviction in his voice in spite of all the alcohol. "I can do it. I just haven't because I hoped I could get her back. Well, not anymore!"

Harry winced. They still needed time to get him into the Wizengamot and change the law. However, it seemed like the divorce could be finalised soon, and once it was, it was doubtful that Hermione could get her children back. He was furiously trying to think of a way to stop Ron, but he was still half asleep and came up blank. He had to contact Draco and Hermione. Since he couldn't think of a way to stall him, Harry decided to support Ron.

"You're right, Ron. However, you need to calm down first. It wouldn't look good if you showed up in front of a person of importance not having slept and in the same robes you had on for the Ball," Harry tried to reason with the man. He really was still in his costume and he had obviously spent the night drinking.

"Fine, Harry. Have it your way. I'm going home. Tomorrow, I'm speeding things up," Ron swore.

As the fire in the fireplace changed back to its normal colour, Harry sighed in relief. He quickly penned a letter to Hermione and Draco, and then sent it through the Floo. After that, he climbed back up to his bedroom, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.

Harry didn't get as much shut-eye as he had hoped; however, because he was woken again rather rudely a few hours later. It was another Weasley, though this one happened to be his wife. She was shaking him and calling out his name. He groaned and mumbled something unintelligent that he wanted to mean ‘go away', but he was unsuccessful as Ginny was relentless.

"Fine, fine, I'm up," he managed to get out.

"Harry, you have to see this," she urged.

"Can't it wait ‘til tea?" He tried to stall as he was really not in the mood to try to deal with more problems.

"No, Harry. Get up, it's noon already." She continued to shake him.

Harry knew his wife enough to determine that she would not give up. With a sigh, he sat up and looked at her with an annoyed expression.

"Very well, here you go." She shoved the Daily Prophet into his lap and stormed out with a huff.

Harry guessed that there was something unpleasant in the rag and scoffed at it before finally locating the first page among the bits of paper. There was an unflattering picture of Ron right under the headline: "Weasley Goes Insane". It depicted him trying to attack Malfoy the previous night. Harry read the article and saw that it did not only describe Ron's actions as unsound, but his choice of attire as well. Harry tried not to laugh aloud at how true that happened to be. He did have to think about an appropriate way to handle the article that would be along the lines of his actions so far. Therefore, as he got up and put on a robe to go down for lunch, he put a scowl on his face.

Ginny was waiting for him in the sitting room and jumped up when she spotted him.

"What are we going to do about this terrible article, Harry?" she demanded.

"What can we do indeed," he pretended to ponder the issue as he headed to the dining room, his wife close on his heels. "I don't think there really is anything we can actually do. There is nothing in the article that is strictly speaking untrue. Though it is malicious." He sat down at the head of the table, looking around expectantly. "All we can do is try to keep Ron from attacking people."

"But Harry!" Ginny whined.

"No buts," he said, trying to be more determined with his wife just as he promised the night before. "Now, how about some lunch? I know the kids are away with your mum, but we should still eat."

"Lunch? When would I have cooked, Harry? You lent the house-elves to Mum to help her with the many children that stayed over."

Harry completely forgot. He frowned and went back to their room. The day was not going well and he was hungry. As a child, he could live on a piece of toast for days; however, those times were long past and he was no longer used to hunger. He was slightly irritable. As he started to change into street clothes, he saw his wife follow him and begin to dress as well.

"Where are we going, Harry?" she asked, excitement appearing in her voice at the prospect of an outing.

"You choose." Harry wasn't all that interested as long as he got something.

"Oh, can we go to that new restaurant just off of Diagon Alley, the Alchemist? Everyone is talking about it."

"All right."

"Put on some really nice robes," Ginny told him as she disappeared into the bathroom. Harry really hoped she wasn't going to take an hour.

Almost an hour later, they Apparated into one of the designated spots on the Alley and arm-in-arm swiftly walked to the restaurant. Harry's stomach was making audible noises by then and he really hoped they were going to get a table right away.

The outside of the restaurant was quite simple, painted a deep purple with dark green roof tiles. They walked in the front door and were greeted by a pretty young witch in long purple robes and a pointy hat.

"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Potter! Welcome to the Alchemist." She was extremely pleasant, but not in an annoying way. "I'll get a table for you right away," she said as she looked at the book in front of her. She seemed to nod to herself and gestured to her guests: "Right this way."

As she was walking them to a table, Harry observed the room. It was a rather quiet place with an intimate atmosphere. The area was dominated by the colours green and purple. Harry actually liked it and he was curious about the food. On the tables he saw there was nothing that he recognised as edible. People seemed to be spooning bubbling electric blue soups into their mouths and carving up vibrant yellow twigs with crimson spots inside. He just hoped they tasted good.

They were seated in a quiet corner and were handed their menus. A waitress in a green short skirt and light green blouse was there in a second enquiring about drinks and Harry just ordered tea, while Ginny chose medium dry white wine. Harry opened the menu and frowned after the first three dishes. He had no idea what he was reading. Therefore, when the waitress returned and Ginny ordered, he just decided to go with the same.

Their first course arrived in a few minutes and it was one of the bubbling soups. Harry expected blueberries or something like that, but tasted mushrooms. It was actually very delicious and the bubbling felt funny in his mouth. He polished it off with a smile and was in a much better mood after having something in his stomach finally, even though he was breaking his diet. Mushrooms were among the banned foods.

As they waited for their main course, Harry looked around the place. Ginny was chattering about some restaurant she had been to during her travels, but he wasn't paying much attention to her. His eyes wondered to the very centre of the establishment, where a table was situated in the most prominent position. He assumed it was for people who actually wanted to be seen at the Alchemist. When he recognised who was actually sitting there, he stared for a moment, then blinked, then realised that he actually stepped in the middle of a scheme. For there she was, Hermione dressed in a most strikingly elegant dress, her hair tumbling down her shoulders in carefully sculptured waves, and as she laughed and flipped her hair, a diamond twinkled in her ear.

"Is that The Bitch sitting there?" Harry heard from next to him. He turned to Ginny and nodded. "Who is she with?" his wife inquired.

Harry tried to get a look. He could have seen the person clearly if it wasn't for the waitress standing in his way. As she moved, he was astonished to recognise the man. He didn't know his name, but it was the same man that had propositioned Draco during the party.

"I don't know his name, but he was at the party the night before," Harry explained as he turned back.

"Maybe that is the man she is sleeping with," Ginny said with conviction.

Harry just nodded and cast about for something to say. Hermione laughed again, though rather loudly and the redhead glared daggers in her direction. Harry was saved from further conversation by the arrival of their main course. It was a large piece of salmon under a glass dome sitting on top of something that looked like rice. The colours were strange again, as the fish was magenta and what was under it was bright lemon. As they took the domes off, the air around them filled with the scent of saffron. As he took a bite out of the food before him, Harry was transported to a warm and cosy place. The garnish turned out to be some sort of pastry, but had a nutty flavour. As they put down their forks, finished with the meal, both seemed to be in a better mood.

Harry took a peak at Hermione and spotted her just leaving in the direction of the ladies' room. It came to him that it would be a perfect opportunity to talk to her, as he could see that the toilets were further away, probably along a corridor as there was an arrow indicating which way to go. He excused himself and quickly followed his friend. He managed to catch up with her just as she was about to enter the room and looking around found a secluded niche, which was obviously set up with a table and some chairs for private conversations. There was even a curtain he could pull around for complete privacy.

Once they were hidden, he cast a few privacy charms. Hermione just smiled at him proudly.

"What are you doing here with that man?" He came out with the question right away as he had no time to waste.

"Oh Harry! It's one of Draco's schemes. You see, we figured that if Ron heard that I was with a man, then he would assume that I was eager to get a divorce myself. Adrian is a great friend of Draco's and was the perfect candidate to play my anxious beau just waiting to find me single and available." She grinned and seemed most pleased with herself.

"But, Hermione, how would Ron find out?" he pressed.

"That was why we came to eat here. There is always a photographer about. The Alchemist is the most popular place right now. Famous people come here to be seen. I do applaud you coming here."

"It wasn't my idea, but I suppose you're right. However, that man, Adrian, you said, is gay."

"Oh, I know. He is very discreet about it though, so no one actually knows." She chuckled to herself at the little joke. "He loves to string women along just for the fun of it. How do you know?" She looked at him puzzled.

"I overheard him talking with Draco during the party," he revealed. "They seemed very ... intimate ... together." He blushed at the memory.

"Oh, I know that too. Draco said that it wasn't anything serious. Mind you, after living with Draco for weeks, I realised myself that he preferred men. You should have seen him today, as he was preparing me for my date. It was rather funny that the man was getting me ready to go out with his lover, but he was in his element. I may get him a Barbie doll for Yule with lots of clothes so that he would have something to play with once this whole mess is sorted." She giggled.

Harry laughed with her and imagined the blond playing with an equally blonde doll.

"Now that you're here, Harry, you can tell Ron all about my suitor yourself. Such marvellous circumstances!"

Harry just nodded. They quickly said their goodbyes and Harry left to return to his table. Just as he sat down, their desserts arrived, cutting off the chance of any conversation. On the plate before them was a brown hill with canary yellow cream around its base. In the middle of the hill, there was a big hole. They were also given a jug and instructed to pour the liquid into the hole. As they did so, foam began to erupt from the concoction and the scent of saffron was in the air. It bubbled over the whole thing.

"Harry, it's like an ejaculation!" she exclaimed, though luckily not loud enough for the people around them to hear.

Harry blushed at the realisation that it was indeed so. Once it stopped sprouting, they both eagerly spooned the delicacy into their mouths. The base of the mound popped in Harry's mouth like popping candy. He thought the whole thing very clever and it was even delicious. Ginny kept giggling.

As they waited for their bill, the conversation turned to Hermione once more.

"We'll have to let Ron know what the woman is doing," Ginny said, clearly annoyed.

"Yes, of course." Harry tried not to grin.

"He's not going to be happy about it."

They both got up to leave, but Hermione and Adrian were still sitting at their table, apparently having a good time.

When they got back to the house, Ginny immediately called her brother to inform him. He was livid, but she told him not to come over. Ron vowed to delay the divorce as long as possible. He assumed that they were just itching for Hermione to be free. Harry heard everything and smiled to himself at how well the plan worked.

Ginny got up from in front of the Floo and swaying her hips, approached her husband.

"Harry, we only have to get the kids in the evening. We have hours ‘till then. What should we do?" She arrived to stand in front of him and was already undressing him. Harry wasn't very interested, but he scolded himself internally for being a bad husband. Eventually, he followed his wife upstairs, trying to seem as eager as he should have been.

* * *

A few days later Harry found himself in Malfoy Manor once more. Hermione, Draco, and him were sitting in Draco's study. Harry looked around, observing the many pictures of Scorpius. He had pictures of his children all over the house as well, along with Ginny. Though the more recent pictures were just of the kids.

The coffee table before him had an assortment of cakes and other foods, along with a pot of sweet-smelling tea. Hermione assured him that he could eat anything. They had both broken their diets at the Alchemist, but returned to it by the next meal.

The Gryffindor had told the others about Ron being eager to slow down the divorce process after hearing about Hermione's new beau. Draco was very smug that his plan had worked. He sat in the chair with a satisfied air about him and grinned at Harry over the rim of his teacup.

"Hermione told me that you know about Adrian and me." He didn't beat about the bush that was for sure.

Harry blushed at the memory and only nodded.

"It's fine, I don't mind." Draco was amused by Harry. "I called you here because I thought we ought to discuss the next phase of our plan. Where are you at in trying to regain your votes, Harry?" He fixed the other man with a stare. Hermione looked very amused at how Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Well, it appears that I'm in a good standing with most members of the Wizengamot, though they have expressed concern with how I handle Ginny. Therefore, now I aim to be a proper restrictive husband to her. No more travelling and running about on her own." Harry couldn't suppress the grimace at the thought.

"I do have to agree with them to a certain degree regarding that issue." Hermione nodded at what she heard. "I never did understand why you weren't bothered by her never being at home or with you? Since Lily was born, she had practically travelled the globe."

"What is it, Harry, trouble in paradise?" the blond remarked.

"No, it's just what she wanted. I ..." He fell silent. He just couldn't come up with a good excuse as to why he preferred his wife on some remote island rather than in his home. Ginny was his wife, the woman he wanted to share his life with. It's true that he had been very complacent in the past years and he did feel more energised since starting his diet. However, while he no longer wanted to go along with everything his wife wanted, he still didn't mind if she was away from him.

He looked up, having realised that his mind had wondered far away. The others were staring at him and he desperately tried to think of something else to talk about. He wasn't comfortable about discussing his marriage with them. Hermione's marriage had failed and Draco's was never really supposed to work.

"By the way, who is this Adrian person?" Harry inquired.

"Adrian Conti. Son of an old Italian family. His parents were immigrants. Very well known in the upper circles of society." Draco waved a dismissing hand. "He loves to play games, so in case we need more help, he would be happy to provide it. I am glad to hear that you progress so well with the Wizengamot. What you need to do now is follow up on the contacts you made at the ball."

"Follow up?" Harry asked back. He wasn't sure about how he was supposed to do that.

"Yes. You need to call on the members, especially the ones that didn't receive you that well. Arrange to visit them with your wife, or have them over at your house for dinner. You have to build up your relationship with them. This will be beneficial even when you come over to the other side, because you'll know your enemy better." Draco grinned at him. He enjoyed the deception a lot.

Harry nodded in understanding and took a swallow of his tea. It had a soothing taste that he enjoyed. He wasn't looking forward to socialising with those people, but it was for a good cause and he had done worse for a good cause.

"How long do I have to keep up the ruse, do you think?" he asked Draco.

"For a few more months, probably. We'll probably be ready at the start of the new year," the blond assured him.

Hermione winced at the remark and Harry felt sorry for her. It meant spending Christmas away from her children.

"Rose and Hugo are all right, but they do miss you terribly," Harry told her.

"I just hope that the Weasleys are not trying to turn them against me," she spoke up.

"From what I heard, when they're not at school, they're mostly with Molly. She's not very vocal about the situation though." Harry remembered that the last time they had lunch at The Burrow, the subject of Hermione was tactfully avoided.

The witch didn't seem reassured by that.

"I'm sure that the kids love you no matter what," Draco injected in what Harry thought to be an unusual show of support. Hermione wasn't surprised by it though and only smiled at the man.

"You two are getting along better than at school," Harry remarked.

"I think we both discovered that the other person is not all that they seemed," she revealed.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I was exactly who you thought I was back at Hogwarts," Draco said and looked down at his tea for a few seconds. "However, I did a lot of growing up since. I no longer think that I'm the best at everything just because I'm a Malfoy. Now, I'm the best at everything because I worked at it." He grinned and the others chuckled a bit.

There was a knock on the door and Draco called out to the person to enter. It was Scorpius, who upon seeing Harry, greeted him enthusiastically.

"What is it, Scorpius?" Draco asked.

"I'm finished with my studies, Dad. I wondered if we could go flying." He was rather shy about his inquiry, probably due to seeing that his father had guests.

"Well, I'd say we were rather done here." He looked at the others in the room to see if they had any objections and when neither was forthcoming, he knew it was all right. "Go and change, get your broom, I'll be along shortly."

Scorpius said his goodbyes and dashed out the door. The adults smiled at him.

"Well, I'd better be going." Draco put down his cup and stood to leave. "You can stay and talk some more if you want, Harry. Goodbye and see you later." He walked out the room, probably on his way to change as well.

"I have to go home, Hermione. I'd love to chat, but I don't want to be too long in case Ginny starts to wonder." Harry was sad to go, but it was time.

"Okay, Harry. I'll go and watch the boys fly then." Harry was glad to see that the loneliness was no longer in her eyes. She apparently enjoyed her time in Malfoy Manor and Harry was amazed by that. Who would have thought?

As the Muggle-born witch lead him out through the maze of corridors, he noted how comfortable she looked navigating the passages. They said their goodbyes and the green-eyed man felt comfortable in leaving her in the Manor in a way that he didn't previously.

End Note: I borrowed the foods from the amazing world of molecular gastronomy. On my Facebook page I put up reference links and a video of the dessert.
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Things Fall Apart, But Then You Build Again